Where We Left Off
by Mor-Elenar
Summary: When a woman claiming to be the biological daughter of Gozaburo Kaiba appears in Domino, Seto and Mokuba must deal with the legal implications, but upon meeting her, Seto realizes there are other forces at work, and a return to Egypt is on the itinerary. Feel free to rate and review!
1. Obligatory Expositional Opening

The offices of the KaibaCorp high rise were uncharacteristically quiet for a normal Thursday afternoon. Usually, employees on all floors were hurriedly bustling about, trying to squeeze in meetings and finish projects so they could slip out early on Friday. VR and holograms were tested in soundproofed rooms, but the dampened white noise still permeated the surrounding floors in such a way one would only notice it if it was missing. Guided tours of the facility, deliveries, third party developers and clients all added to the foot traffic to give the company all the hallmarks of a successful, billion-dollar corporation.

But this day was different. The VR testing floor was being rewired, and a recent snowstorm had repercussions threefold: tours were down due to the inclement weather, several workers had called in sick and clients both local and international were unable to attend meetings with such poor travel weather. Few people, coupled with chilly, overcast weather had turned the entire corporate headquarters into a sleepy, almost gloomy version of itself.

Seto loved it. The glass panes that made up the entire south wall of his office overlooked a commercial district covered in snow with gray clouds threatening even more wind and snow. He liked gray skies, and he loved being able to work without being interrupted by calls and appointments. He was hardly thrilled about so many workers being gone, but age had softened him to understand that people got sick or had sick family and missed work. It was just as well, at least today he could work in peace. He'd asked the heads of each department for proposals on a new product to announce by September so it could launch just before Christmas, but with the world fully digital, where was there left to go in the gaming industry? His emails showed dozens of ideas, but few held any long-term potential.

A gaming console? That field was already dominated.

A collaboration with Industrial Illusions to launch a new generation of Duel Monsters? He was loth to work with Maximillian Pegasus again.

New rides and attractions for Kaiba Land? Meh, the theme park didn't make enough revenue to warrant more investment.

Fully immersive VR helmets? People would never buy them after the Argus VR incident. Over six thousand deaths had cured the general populous of fully immersive virtual reality games. Not even the Kaiba Corp logo could sell a deathtrap.

A buzzer from the phone on his desk interrupted his focus on the monitor. It was the first time his secretary had paged him all afternoon.

"Mr. Kaiba," the voice came through, static more prominent through the speaker whenever her voice inflexed too much in one direction or the other, "Mister Mokuba was wondering if you had a few minutes to look at a possible financial issue or if he should wait until tomorrow?"

Seto sat back in his chair and pushed the button on the cradle, "No, I can talk to him now. Is he here or do I need to go down to his office?" Had it been anyone else disturbing him, he would have turned them away, but not his brother.

"He said he's on his way up," Yui's voice scratched, "He'll be here in about five minutes."

"You don't need to announce him, just send him in when he comes," Seto said before returning to his emails.

Mokuba was one of the few people given permission to enter his office without knocking. He would have liked to keep his brother as his personal assistant, but he also understood that Mokuba wanted to be hos own man and his interests were not in the family business. At thirteen, his younger brother graduated from high school and scored high enough on the bar exams to be the second youngest student to be accepted into law school, graduating at only twenty. His end game was to own his own law firm, but until he had enough prestige and his own money, he worked for Kaiba Corp in the legal department.

The younger Kaiba entered through the mahogany doors carrying a thick folder in his hand. While it seemed that Seto had looked like a twenty-five-year-old ever since he was sixteen, ten years of aging had changed Mokuba from child to man in a drastic manner. He'd hit a growth spurt, now standing only four centimeters shorter than his elder brother, his thick black hair short and choppy the way most young men his age wore it.

"Hey," was his only greeting as he tossed himself into the armchair, sprawling in a most unprofessionally comfortable fashion.

"Give me just a second," Seto entered a few keystrokes before closing his email. "What am I taking a look at?" He pushed his chair away from the computer screen as proof of his undivided attention.

"I've been contacted by a lawyer whose client insists she is the biological daughter of Gozaburo Kaiba." He laid copies of the emails they had exchanged on Seto's desk.

The CEO raised his eyebrows in mild astonishment. "We haven't had had one of these in years," he mused as he looked over the emails, "What makes this woman different?"

The law student anticipated the question and had the last document in his hand already, "We always ask these gold diggers to submit a DNA sample so we can do a paternity test. Not only did she do so, ensuring she had accompanying witness statements verifying it was her sample, but she tested positive. She's his daughter."

"There must be some mistake," Seto insisted, leaning over the emails, trying to scrutinize them, "You and I both know full well, our father didn't have any love affairs except with his wallet."

"I've scrutinized everything. It's all there. She's an American citizen, and she's gone through all the right channels through both US and Japanese laws. Her lawyer is well respected and I checked him out as best I as I could. He's on top of everything and has a spotless record."

Seto furrowed his brows. "What about her?"

"Sabrina Harrison, twenty-three, oldest of four kids, mother married only once, but she is widowed now. Born and raised in North Carolina, has a master's degree from Duke University: graphic design. She currently works at a fair-sized corporation that does machinima animation for various game publishers."

"Good money?"

Mokuba shrugged. "The company is worth a little under five million dollars US, so she has to be making a decent income. Not exactly a Kardashian level of wealth or notoriety but she's made something of herself."

Kaiba sat back in his chair and put his hands behind his head, lacing his fingers. "Criminal record?"

The other Kaiba shook his head, "Underaged drinking her freshman year of college and minor traffic violations. Nothing serious. She's never been even implicated in anything majorly illegal or scandalous. She pays her taxes, works her job, and just seems to be pretty normal. I even tried to get into some of her social media accounts, but she leads a fairly private life." He gathered the copies and began putting them back in his folder. "What do you want to do?"

His elder brother leaned back far enough in his chair to face the ceiling. He stared at the blank white for a short time before finally replying, "Bring her and her lawyer in. I want to meet her." He leaned forward out of his chair. "And don't offer them any courtesies. Don't pay for the flights or putting them up or even suggest good places to eat. I don't want her comfortable."

Mokuba nodded in agreement. "Neither she nor the lawyer have stated what they wanted with this information, but it will probably be a few weeks before we can even have a meeting. I'll keep you posted." He stood, readjusting the chair before leaving, "Have you eaten lunch yet?" he inquired, changing the subject. "I'm about to go grab something if you'd like to come along."

"I did, I had Yui grab me something on the way back from her lunch break. We can do dinner instead."

The young lawyer shook his head. "I have a date tonight."

Kaiba narrowed his eyes at his brother. "With a girl?"

His brother laughed. "Yes, with a girl. We share a few classes at college, so I asked her out to dinner."

"Well, good luck." Seto wasn't very good with communication. He loved his brother and everyone knew it, but expressing it was hard for him.

"Thanks," Mokuba said genuinely, knowing it was the best his brother could come up with.

Though the rest of the day ran just quieter than normal, Kaiba couldn't help but wonder if his life of being the bearer of the Kaiba legacy was going to change with this new piece of information.

Only four days later, Yui's voice came through the phone into Seto Kaiba's office. Seto was looking over resumes for a new head of maintenance.

"Sir, there's a Justin Hayes on the phone. He wants to set up an appointment as quickly as possible, but he won't say why."

"Seto frowned. "How soon does he want to meet?"

"He says their plane flies back to the States in one week and he wants everything sorted out before then. I'm assuming he is referring to himself and his client." Her voice sounded confused. Most people weren't this demanding with her boss.

An American lawyer who flew in with this client. Kaiba sighed harshly enough it could have been perceived as a snort, though he never publicly displayed much emotion. "When's my next available appointment?"

There was a pause on the other end before Yui's voice came back. "4:00 p.m. today. After that, I don't have anything until Friday.

"Today then," he answered shortly, removing his cell phone and dialing Mokuba's number.

"Yes sir," Yui's voice crackled.

Mokuba's phone only rang twice before he answered. "What's up, Bro?" his brother answered his phone casually knowing full well that Seto never made social calls.

"Moki, the American woman, Gozaburo's spawn. She's already here," Kaiba spared him the formalities and got straight to business. "I know today is your day off, but can you come in and meet her and the lawyer." It was less of a question and more of a request.

"Already here?" Mokuba sounded surprised, "They must be serious. Yeah, I can be there in about an hour."

"I can send the helicopter if you'd like," Seto offered.

Mokuba laughed, "I'm fine, bro. I can take the train. You and all your ridiculous gadgets and blimps and dragon shaped airplanes are why we aren't a multi-billion dollar company right now."

"What can I say? I like my luxuries." The young business mogul showed no remorse for his expenditures. "I'll see you in a bit."

"See you there."

The Kaiba brothers met just before 2:00 to go over everything they knew and their offers should the other party decide to seek some kind of monetary settlement. After two hours of plotting attack strategies, they figured they were as ready as they'd ever be. They sat back and relaxed a few moments before the meeting started.

"You know, there was a time we wanted a sister," Mokuba mused as he reclined in his chair. "We even asked Gozaburo to adopt us one." The memory seemed almost cruelly ironic.

" _You_ asked him for a sister," Kaiba reminded him. "As far as younger siblings go, you were more than enough of a handful. Two siblings would have meant twice as many kidnappings, and there were far too many of those…"

He was interrupted by Yui's voice. "Misters Kaiba, Mr. Hayes and his client are here for their appointment."

A knot of uneasiness came into Mokuba's stomach, though he could not say why. He caught Kaiba's eye before he acknowledged his secretary.

"Ready?" he asked. He watched as his younger brother pushed aside his uneasiness and took on an air of confidence, nodding firmly that he was prepared and assured. He nodded in return as he pused the talk button on his phone. "Thank you, Yui, please show them in."

Rather than having Yui escort them all the way inside his office, Kaiba met them at the door to maintain more control of the situation.

Mr. Hayes entered first, both bowing politely and offering his hand, "Mr. Kaiba, I appreciate letting us come on such short notice."

Kaiba shook his hand cordially, "It's no trouble," he lied, "The now is always the best time to take care of business." He directed Mr. Hayes attention to his lawyer, "May I introduce you to the head of our legal department, Mokuba Kaiba,"

"Ah, yes," Hayes stepped aside to extend another handshake, "Mr. Kaiba, the younger. A pleasure to finally meet you in person. From your emails, I would have assumed you were a bit older."

The two lawyers continued their pleasantries. Seto turned to greet Miss Harrison and suddenly froze. She stood before him a living ghost. A well figured, slender woman of average height and ivory white skin. Her hair was a platinum blond, but with a cool undertone that gave it an almost silvery shine. Her eyes, a pale blue, were large and round contrasted against her angular features. She bowed, her straight, waist length hair, falling in front of her shoulders. It took every ounce of his self-control not to say her name aloud.

Kisara.


	2. Obligatory Legal Jargon

Throughout all his hardships as a child, Seto Kaiba had one constant: his composure. He couldn't control his parents dying, or being bullied at the orphanage, or his adoptive father being abusive, but he could control how he reacted, and having that kind of self-control enable him to take everything in stride, even running a multi-million-dollar corporation at only sixteen.

Even an assassination attempt at the hands of his own employees.

Even the times he and his brother were in life threatening situations.

Even when he learned he was the reincarnation of an ancient Egyptian priest who lost his true love and defending the pharaoh from a dark spirit trying to destroy the world using monsters summoned from human souls.

Even when he lost his own Duel Monsters tournament.

But in the moment, facing his past in the present, his composure betrayed him. He stared and his mouth gaped open.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," her voice was modulated and soft, but confident. She stood upright and offered her hand. He studied her face. Her pale skin and slender frame made her look younger than she actually was. It took him a solid five seconds to realize she'd spoken to him.

"Um…and…and you as well," he stammered. He took her hand, raising it to his lips rather than shaking. 'Why did I do that?' he mentally chided himself.

"Won't you have a seat?" Mokuba offered, directing them to armchairs facing Kaiba's desk. They each took a seat as Mokuba and Seto positioned themselves behind the desk.

"I suppose you have several questions for us," Hayes began. "We'll try to answer as many as we can."

"We certainly do," Mokuba replied. He and Seto agreed it would be best if he did all the talking, "For starters, how did you even discover Gozaburo Kaiba was your biological father?"

"The man I believed was my father passed away when I was 18. My mother told me the day after the funeral that I wasn't his. He never knew." Sabrina spoke as if reciting a speech she'd rehearsed for weeks, continuously looking to her lawyer for reassurance. "My mother worked for Lockheed Martin. She and Gozaburo Kaiba met at a joint operation: KaibaCorp and Lockheed were working on to design cost effective long-range weaponry for the US Army."

"It makes sense," Mokuba mused, "Though our father was not the type to engage in illicit behavior." It was the most delicate way he could say his adoptive father cared too much about money to risk a potential drain on his funds, or to take part in anything that didn't directly or indirectly make him money.

"It was a one-night stand." Hayes interjected, "Her only explanation to my client as to exactly how it came about is that they were both 'very, very, drunk'. They were celebrating because they'd won the contract bid."

Sabrina looked at the floor, a little ashamed of her true heritage, being the product of her mother's drunken indiscretion.

"And you've waited seven years to pursue this. Why wait?"

Sabrina shrugged. "My mother never pushed this in order to protect or family's reputation. When she retired and had no professional image to maintain, I decided to claim what was mine by right."

"And what do you suppose that entails Miss Harrison?"

It was here that her lawyer removed his hand from hers to retrieve documents from his briefcase. "My client," he interjected, taking over her half of the conversation entirely, "is asking for nothing more than her fair portion of Gozaburo Kaiba's estate, his life insurance policies and inclusion in the company."

"Define inclusion," Mokuba inquired, maintaining his perfect business composure.

"A two percent stock in KaibaCorp shares as well as employment within the company." He handed a packet across the mahogany desk.

"That's a hefty 'ask'," the young lawyer noted as he took the bundle of papers.

"We of course intend for all of those monetary compensations to be based on their value at his death without having to adjust for inflation or varying exchange rates."

"And the stock?"

"Two percent is two percent."

"That is a lot to be handing over to a stranger."

"You fear another foreign stockholder?"

"Fear? No. Mistrust, yes."

Hayes let out a cynical laugh. "Because history might repeat itself?"

"Beg pardon?" Mokuba frowned, giving a chance for the lawyer to change his answer rather than asking for clarification. The brothers had distinctive features that no one would ever confuse the two, but when the younger brother got mad, his eyes narrowed and his voice grew sharp, making him sound exactly like Seto.

"Please, Mister Kaiba…Mister Kaibas," he corrected himself. It was easy to forget the CEO was still in the room sitting behind to Mokuba's right. He hadn't stirred during the proceedings, but judging how his eyes darted from lawyer to client, he was still fully involved in the conversation. Hayes continued, choosing to direct his attention at the elder brother, "The almost hostile take-over of KaibaCorp by the own'ers teenage son is a world renown as is the fact the deciding factors were the 2% shares held by both you and your brother. If we were to go to court over evenly dividing all of Gozaburo's assets, we'd be asking for much more. At the time of his suicide, he still owned 49% of KaibaCorp. That divided three ways is a staggering 16.6% of your precious corporation. 2% and a position would be more advantageous for you as individuals and a company."

Mokuba leafed through the paperwork they had everything plain and organized: documented, legal, thorough. After skimming the basics, he handed them to his brother to scrutinize. "We will certainly have to bring this up to our legal department, but we will certainly have a resolution by the time of your return flight. Everything is organized and well ordered, but did you have any questions for us?"

"Hayes sat back in his chair, glancing at a nervous Sabrina. He shook his head indicating he had no questions, but it was obvious she wanted to ask something. He leaned closer to his client. "Sabrina?"

"It's not profession; it's more personal," she didn't sound timid, more that she didn't want to come across as unprofessional.

"It's fine," Mokuba shrugged, "I'm sure you probably have questions about your family. If we don't want to answer any questions, the worst that can happen is we won't. You won't be any worse off."

"Did he have any hereditary diseases?" It was obvious why she would ask such a question.

"No. Not that we knew of."

"What about other children? Has anyone else ever made claim?"

"None that could prove it."

"And I take it he never wanted any other children? He showed no interest in marriage or adopting another child?"

Mokuba let out a scornful laugh. "He didn't want the two he had. Not really, though I think he did realize at some point he needed a son if he was to have any sort of staying power, but he didn't want any more children, and honestly, I doubt he ever would have wanted a girl."

"I guess I've been wondering with the life I had, if things would have been different by having my biological father in my life. If knowing the truth or spending time…"

"You didn't miss anything," Kaiba suddenly spoke. "It seems you had a normal childhood; something you never would have had were you raised a Kaiba. He was abusive and heartless and was proud of it." His cold tone was laced with bitterness.

Sabrina was taken aback by his sudden insertion into the conversation. "Then why were you so desperate to get him to adopt you" Her face showed some sort of surprise, as if her mouth spoke something without her brain's permission.

Had it been any other meeting, any other encounter, Seto would have merely have them escorted out of the building. He never handled personal criticism or something that could be constructed as such, he just dismissed the source. But coming from her, he couldn't bring him self to be short. His eyes softened. "It was strategic, for Gozaburo and me," he explained, "Gozaburo got a good public image and two boys smart enough to carry on his legacy. My brother and I got out of the orphanage without being separated into an environment where our physical needs were met, and our education could be accelerated." When he put it like that, even he couldn't deny how much he and his adoptive father were alike. Business first and always.

"I see," she said, "That was my only question…or line of questions." Her face showed no disappointment or regret. She understood both Gozaburo's and Kaiba's business sense. Perhaps faced with the same dilemma, she would have done the same.

"Well, if you have any more, you're certainly welcome to call or email our legal department. They'll forward it directly to me." He stood signifying the meeting was over. The two plaintiffs followed suit, shaking hands with Mokuba again. Seto escorted them to the door, shaking hand with Sabrina first, then Hayes.

"I know it's a bit early, but would you tow like to grab dinner with us? The entire basement floor has our cafeteria and we could get you the owner's discount."

Mokuba seemed just as shocked by the offer as Hayes.

"We aren't otherwise engaged," He looked to Sabrina to verify she wanted to stay. "We'd like that. Lead the way."

"I need to shut everything down for the day and I'm sure my brother needs to pack everything up." Mokuba looked up from gathering all his legal papers to nod in assent. "Why don't you head there and look at the menu and we will meet you there?"

"Just direct us and we will see you there."

Seto opened the office door to show them to the elevators. "Just take the elevator down to the second basement. The entire floor is the cafeteria, and there's a huge selection so be sure to look at all the stations before you decide what you want."

"Thank you. We'll see you there," Hayes smiled with genuine pleasure and gratitude.

"Thank you, sir," Sabrina said, bowing slightly again before scurrying off behind her lawyer who, a few paces ahead, had stepped aside, waiting to escort her.

Once they were out of sight, Kaiba closed the door and huttiedly began shutting down his office.

"This wasn't part of the plan," Mokuba snapped as he closed his briefcase.

"Plans change," replied Seto, "We can talk in the elevator." They both finished, bidding a quick farewell to Yui before heading to Seto's private elevator.

Kaiba's direct elevator was keycard accessible by only a handful of privileged staff. Forty floors was a long ride down, but with no other stops to inhibit them, they might very well beat their guests to the cafeteria.

"What's with the gentlemen act?" the younger asked as they rode down. "I've seen you more apathetic with less money at stake."

Kaiba remained facing the door, trying to comprehend his circumstances and his feelings, "I thought perhaps we could catch them off guard with a little courtesy. Besides, if she is a legal heir and does get a portion of the company, however small, we don't want to leave a bad impression."

Mokuba conceded the wisdom in his brother's decision. "It's fortunate for us she is asking for so little and is looking to settle out of the court," he commented. "Can you imagine the media heyday?"

Seto didn't answer.

"Bro!"

The elder brother snapped back into reality. "What?" he asked, clearly trying to push away the distraction in his mind.

"I said, we're lucky we can keep this out of the tabloids."

"Oh, gosh, yes," Seto breathed as if this was the first time he'd heard it, "The media would have a heyday." He looked over at Mokuba and caught his unenthusiastic expression. "You already said that, didn't you?"

"Yup."

"And I missed it?"

"Yup?"

"I'm sorry. Did you already say if this gets out we'll be flooded with paternity suits?"

"No, but you are right. One success will leed to thousands of attempts."

The elevator slowed to a crawl, securing itself at the second basement.

"Moki, I want to talk to her alone. No lawyers." Kaiba said just before the doors opened. "Can you arrange that?"

"I can try. No guarantees," Mokuba replied with tempered enthusiasm, "I've never been a wing-man before."

The cafeteria was busy as the evening rush was just beginning. Stations of food from salads to desserts lined two walls and stood in islands along one half of the floor funneling toward a cashier station in the middle before opening up to the eating area on the other half. Ordering was chaotic, but the four were spared having to stand in line to pay; a simple nod from Seto and they were through, choosing the secluded annex area to have a quiet place to eat.

Where Mokuba and Hayes led the conversation upstairs, Seto took full charge of the conversation, directing everything at his newfound sister. "So, if KaibaCorp were to take you on, what field would you prefer most to work? Your major is in graphic design, right?"

"You've done your homework," Sabrina noted, "I initially wanted to go the advertising route, but I currently do textures for machinima engines. I think it would be fun to do textures for VR or hologram tech."

"Well, our R&D department in our American HQ is starting to dabble in AR and VR gaming. We definitely will need graphic artists."

"Oh, I don't want to work at the American HQ. I plan to be in Domino, working for the world HQ. Better opportunities, better tech, better money…and apparently better food." She brandished a dragon roll with her chopsticks. "This is a superior sushi roll."

"You've clearly done your homework as well," Seto countered, noting hre proficiency at using chopsticks (and Hayes lack thereof) "You'd do that though? Just pack up and leave your family and job to move to Japan?"

"What can I say? I relish adventure, specifically business adventure," She gave him a smile.

It seemed so paradoxical that she was so innocent yet relished such risks and being put out of her element. It made Kaiba furrow his brow as he tried to read if she was more Gozaburo that he initially thought.

"You are finding Domino City to your liking then?" he inquired, continuing to aim the conversation at Sabrina rather than both Americans.

"Oh, yes. We feel right at home. I was expecting more of a culture shock, but everything here from the airport to the car rental services has been very accommodating."

"Is there anything you need to make your stay more comfortable? My brother and I can direct you to the best shops in the area if you'd like." He wanted to keep interacting with her, but was running out of fodder. He glanced to Mokuba, hoping he could try and separate woman from lawyer.

His younger brother tried to play wingman twice, and both times it didn't work. He tried escorting Hayes to the bathroom only to have Sabrina insist she had to go as well. Another time, Hayes stood to get more food, but Sabrina chose the same time to refill her drink, despite Mokuba's offer to refill it himself. Seto grew progressively more and more frustrated as they remained inseparable either by design or chance. By the time the dinner was done, the Kaibas had gathered little more personal information on their newfound sister. Seto took out his frustrations in the elevator.

"A complete waste," he snorted.

"Perhaps not," Mokuba tried pacifying him, "We found out she's a hard worker, good at expressing herself, and focused."

Kaiba let his shoulders sag in defeat. "She reminds me of father. Did you hear her? She's all business. This whole paternity settlement is another business arrangement for her. She'd move away from family to a job, she even answered personal questions like she was at a job interview."

"She sounds like you," Mokuba jabbed. "You may have expected her to be different because she's a woman, but it's no surprise to me that Miss Harrison is a cold-hearted money-driven vixen."

"How sad," Seto confided, "At least she'll fit in our family perfectly well."

The elevator stopped at the lobby floor. Kaiba had his car pulled around for him, and the two brothers rode home discussing other business matters related to KaibaCorp. While this was the biggest issue at hand, Seto still had a company to run and Mokuba still had responsibilities to the legal department and classes. When the reached the front door of the mansion, Mokuba headed upstairs.

"How about we hash out all the red tape after dinner?" he called over the railing, "Sound good? I want take a mental break. This is a lot to take in all at once."

Kaiba shrugged passively. "That's fine with me. I'll be in my office, come grab me when you're ready."

Inside his office, Seto tried to focus on his computer screen, but his thoughts kept diverting back to the face of the woman he'd spent all afternoon with. He had so many questions and no one to ask.

Maybe someone could. But they hadn't spoken in years.

Maybe Yugi.


	3. Visit to an Old Friend Cliche

Though he didn't have Yugi's personal number, the game shop was easy to look up on his phone with an accompanying number. He sat with the phone in his lap for a solid ten minutes before finally pushing the call button. It was almost 9:00 pm but some game stores stayed open until midnight. After a few rings, the line connected.

"Kame Game Shop." The voice had deepened with age, but the timbre and cadence were the same.

"Yugi, it's Seto Kaiba…." He was cut off before he could continue

"You're not going to ask me to duel you, are you? Yugi asked in a tone that Kaiba could not discern whether or not he was joking.

"I haven't picked up my deck in years," Kaiba responded. "I was actually wondering if I could meet with you sometime in person. I'd like to talk about…" he had to search for the right words. "about something I know you'll understand."

This time there was a pause on the other end of the line before Yugi replied. "Is this a business talk or a personal talk?"

"Both," Kaiba replied honestly, "But more personal. I have some questions and I think you're probably the best person to ask. Listen, can I stop by the shop sometime, go out for a beer or whatever you drink? Just the two of us?"

The shop owner was taken aback by the desperation in the mogul's voice. "Of course, Kaiba. Anytime." He said, trying to sound reassuring.

"How about now?"

"Now?"

"You said any time."

"Right now?"

"Why not? I can be at the shop in half an hour."

"Um…sure," Yugi obliged. "I just closed and I have a little left to finish up before shutting everything down. I'll leave the light on for you."

"I'll be there," Seto confirmed. "And, thank you, Yugi. I need this."

Yugi couldn't remember if Kaiba had ever thanked him before. Whatever he was going through, it must be serious. "Like I said, Kaiba. Seriously, Anytime."

Kaiba put the phone down. Yugi always had a big heard: kind ot a fault, a concept he would never understand, but for the moment, deeply appreciated. He stood and exited the study.

"Butler," he called, "I'm going out. Could you bring my car around?"

"I take it you'll be going without an escort," the butler (ironically named Butler) said, appearing in the foyer. "What will you be driving this evening?"

"The mokubamobile. If it's not already in use." Seto had a menagerie of cars at his disposal, but at times, he preferred to be incognito. To avoid drawing attention, he'd held on to Mokuba's first car, a six-year-old mid-class coupe that would hardly be a target if left in a parking lot unattended. He considered re-painting the exterior to at least make it respectable, but Moki insisted the Mokubamobile remain in it's original "grandmother" white.

Butler fetched the car while another servant brought Kaiba his coat.

"If my brother asks where I am," he instructed as he took the keys from the man-servant, "tell him you don't know."

"Very good, sir," Butler nodded in acknowledgement "Are we at least able to know what time to expect you back?"

"Late," was his only estimation.

The game shop was empty but still well lit. Yugi was standing by the door to let him. He'd matured through the face since high school, his jaw and cheeks having lost their boyish softness. He was still short, and his hair was still unrealistically set atop his heat in the gravity defying spikes that all the Muoto men seemed to have.

"It's good to see you," Yugi greeted him while locking the door. "Make yourself comfortable in the breakroom while I get the lights."

"Sounds good," Kaiba replied making his way to the back rooms. The game-shop's breakroom was almost stereotypical: unkept, appliances and signs posted to not steal food from the fridge. An electric kettle was steaming on the counter next to two teacups. He took the liberty of pouring out the tea and placing the cups on the table. Yugi entered soon afterward to sit opposite him.

"The tea's alright?" he asked before sipping from his own cup.

"Yes," Kaiba replied, "I don't get to sit and enjoy a hot cup of tea much anymore."

The store-keeper shifted in his chair to make himself comfortable. "I take it KaibaCorp is busy as always with the latest and greatest tech."

"All day, every day." Kaiba looked out at the darkened shop, "Sometimes, I think it's be nice to just shut down and cool off for a few days, but we can't afford to turn the lights off ever," he admitted.

"I confess, I was a little shocked to see Mokuba at Tristan and Serenity's wedding with how busy you two always were. I half hope, half expected to see you there on your laptop during the reception."

"I couldn't come," Kaiba explained, "We were gearing up to do some hardware demonstrations that week and I just couldn't' make it." It had been over a year ago, but Seto still had a twinge of regret over not attending. "At least Moki got to go. He was the one Tristan had kept in touch with since school. I don't really keep up with people. I figured you and Tea would get married at some point eventually."

"Oh," Yugi put his cup down. "No, we aren't together."

"I'm sorry," Kaiba apologized, feeling awkward that he'd clearly brought up a touchy subject. "I just assumed. You two were always so close."

"It's fine," Yugi reassured him, "It was Yami she really loved, so when he left, she moved on to someone else."

"Don't tell me. Devlin?" Kaiba squinted in disgust.

"No," Yugi let out a short nervous laugh.

"Bakura?"

"None of us know where Bakura even is."

Kaiba was out of guesses at that point as he didn't recall any other people from school. There was only guess left. "Wheeler?" he half guessed half snorted. The silence that followed confirmed it.

"I thought he was going after that Valentine woman that was way too old for him."

"That was ten years ago. He was a teenager and he figured it out really quickly what she was really after."

"So Wheeler and the cheerleader," Kaiba muttered to himself. "That must have been awkward when you found out."

"It was the hardest day of my life," he admitted, "I had to watch the girl I'd waited years for marry my best friend and I had to stand as the best man and make a toast and wish them well and be happy for them and at the end of the day, I came home and had no one to talk to about it. And now they're gone."

"What do you mean, gone?" Kaiba seemed oddly curious about the welfare of people he used to consider beneath him.

"They moved back to New York so Tea could pursue her dance career. We keep in touch with social media, but its honestly easier than having them nearby and wanting to spend time like nothing happened."

It seemed unfair even to Kaiba who cared little for people that a good-hearted kid like Yugi would end up getting the shortest end of the stick. Losing his dream girl to his alter ego and then to his best friend. Fate seemed cruel indeed.

"So, if you didn't call to duel me, what can I do for you? You're not here to rob my grandpa are you? Unfortunately he's not here." Yugi said it in complete jest, but it was for the effect of moving the subject matter elsewhere.

"I'm not here for your grandpa's cards. Speaking of which, how is the old man?"

"He's doing well. He forgets a lot, but he still remembers people. At least he still knows who I am, even if he does forget he's already told me ALL the same stories over and over. Listen, Kaiba," he looked him square in the eyes, "You don't have to make small talk. Just tell me what's on your mind."

Seto shifted in his seat, trying to find the right words to explain himself. "Your grandpa and your parents spent their lives studying Egypt and the Shadow Games, right?"

"Yes, why?"

"How much did they know about reincarnation?"

Yugi seemed perplexed by the question. "None. At least, nothing from my grandfather's endless stories. I've never had access to any of their documented research."

Kaiba leaned forward in his chair, lowering his voice as if he didn't others to hear. "But I am a reincarnation, like Ishizu. Our souls were reborn to eventually aid and protect you."

"Yami," Yugi corrected.

"Yami," Kaiba grudgingly conceded. "I just don't understand the whole of it. Souls are reborn, but I'm not exactly like Set, so how much of me is me and how much is the priest?

"I don't think that's something so cut-and-dry. You and Priest Set had two entirely different lives and deaths. I suppose you are unique but his soul does influence who you are. Are you having some sort of existential crisis?"

"Yes, and no," Kaiba replied vaguely. The violet eyes of the man sitting across from him squinted in confusion.

"Moki and I just found out that Gozaburo Kaiba had a biological daughter in the US that's just now staking her claim to the Kaiba empire. We met with her this afternoon, and it's Kisara."

It all made sense now Muto let out an 'ah' of realization.

"She's Kisara, but she's also Sabrina Harrison. She's the spitting image of the Egyptian, but Kisara was so shy and sweet and innocent, and Sabrina is a heartless businesswoman. And I don't know what that implies about us. Why is she of all people the daughter of my adoptive father? Someone with whom I would eventually cross paths?" He began running his fingers through his hair nervously, "We were cousins in a past life, Yami and I, and Fate it seems brought us to the same lifetime and same school thousands of years after the fact. Your grandpa, me, Ishizu, Bakura, you as the holder of the pharaoh's soul, all of this was so that the pharaoh could fulfill his destiny. But this? Why would I meet her now? Is this fate too? Are we destined somehow to pick up where we left off or history supposed to repeat itself? Where is my choice in all this? Do I have one? I know how much Set loved Kisara, but I don't particularly find myself attracted to Sabrina, she's too much like Gozaburo. And what about her? Does she have a choice? Does she know who she once was? Do I tell her? Is that even my place?" He took a moment to breathe and finish his tea in order to regain control. "She's proven that she's a legitimate heir to my father's fortune. When all of the legal proceedings are done, she will be a share-holder in the company. I can't avoid her. What do I do?"

"Ummm…well first breath, man," Yugi said as he scrambled to think of an answer. "I don't know what to say. IF she really is Kisara, then it's no accident you tow were brought together again. Perhaps this is the beginning of a new story for you. One where you're the hero."

The business mogul frowned at this speculation. "And do what? Rescue the princess from the duel tower and slay some ancient Egyptian Dragon that's lain dormant for thousands of years until the prophecy is fulfilled? I'm not a white knight that battles the forces of evil type. That's more your scene."

"I'm not saying it's some larger than life thing like mine was, but you have to be willing to step up if the occasion calls for it."

"I don't want to be pushed into something I'm not," Kaiba protested.

"Were you pushed into anything when we were in Egypt ten years ago?" Yugi asked.

"No," Kaiba admitted.

"What about Battle City? Every choice was your own?"

"Yes."

"In fact, I recall you defying Ishizu's vision to beat her in the quarter finals. You threw her future back in her face."

A smirk danced at the corner of Kaiba's lips. He remembered that moment as one of his finest and could not suppress the feeling of satisfaction.

"You see?" Yugi continued. "Having a destiny doesn't mean you have no choice at all. It's like a card game; you might not get to choose your hand, but you can choose how to play your cards: something you've always been good at.

Kaiba sighed deeply. It was enough of a relief to share all of his thoughts in confidence, but his old rival had given him sound advice. "Again, Yugi, thank you. I needed to get this all out." He stood, stretching and looking for a place to put his cup.

"It's quite all right," Yugi extended his hand offering to take the cup, "Just out of curiosity, how did you react when you met her? Was she as beautiful as Kisara was?"

"It was a shock at first, but then it was like an ache," explaided Seto, "I knew she wasn't who I remembered, but the Set in me was yearning for what he perceived as Kisara. It was almost sad. I had to put on a façade so Mokuba wouldn't notice anything weird."

"Mokuba doesn't know?"

"I never told him about what happened in Egypt. No past lives or reliving memories. I came home and told him we won and that the pharaoh returned to his time. He know nothing else, not even about the part Bakura played."

"Perhaps you should tell him?"

"I'm going to have to at some point. I think he'll take it well. Its' not any more insane than anything else he's been through." As he spoke, his phone lit up with a text from Mokuba. "Speak of the devil." Seto removed his phone and read as Yugi put the tea cups in the dishwasher.

WHERE ARE YOU?! HAVE TO HAMMER OUR LEGAL SITUATION WITH SIS.

Seto typed in a response.

HAD TO GO BACK TO THE OFFICE. ALMOST DONE. BE HOME SOON.

"Business day never ends?" Yugi asked dryly.

"Sadly, today still isn't over yet," Kaiba responded as he returned his phone to his pocket. "I need to get back home."

The pair of them exited the building together, making small talk about current events and the cold weather. When they reached the door, they clasped hands in a hardy handshake, promising not to wait too long to visit again, though they both knew Kaiba would get too busy. Something drastic would have to come up again.


	4. Obligatory Sibling Bonding Chapter

A/N: This story isn't supposed to be happening at all. I don't even like fanfiction. I'm writing a sci-fi novel but sometimes this story comes up and it WILL NOT GET OUT OF MY HEAD until I write it down, so this is a writing to help me blow off steam. Also, I am aware that this chapter is short and boring, I promise the next one will be better, longer and not have any annoying legal jargon.

Please to rate/review anytime. I need feedback. No point in trying to get my book published if I suck at writing, so I'd rather find out now.

Seto had the whole drive home to think over everything he and Yugi had discussed. Before he pulled in front of the mansion, he'd made up his mind to take things one step at a time. Settle the inheritance first, figure out Sabrina second; fate could be third.

Mokuba was already in his study with papers in neat, organized stacks. He'd taken the liberty of using Seto's office chair and computer desk.

"I wasn't aware you had an office at the Kame Game shop," he said scowling when Seto entered.

You pinged my phone?" the elder brother returned the scowl. "You've never kept tabs on me before."

"No, I pulled up the GPS on the Mokubamobile. And you've never lied to me before."

"I can't visit an old friend without arousing some kind of suspicion? Now, out of my chair."

"As soon as you tell me what happened in that office today with Hayes and Sabrina." The younger brother was tired, but determined.

"Was it obvious?"

"To them, no, but I know you. Seto Kaiba does not stare, or stutter or act chivalrous even to get what he wants. You've never tried to be charming or accommodating to anyone. And now going to see Yugi? This isn't you." His expression changed from irritated to concerned. "I just want to make sure we're on the same page."

"I do have something I need to tell you, but let's get through the whole inheritance settlement thing and I promise I will explain everything." He extended his arm to shake on it, but as soon as Moki took his hand, Seto yanked him forward out of the chair.

"Hey!" Mokuba objected as Seto sat in his regained throw, adjusting the seat back to his preferred height.

"Ok, let's tally up the damage," the elder brother said pulling up to the desk as Mokuba found his own chair.

By 2:00 am, they had finished going through all of Hayes paperwork looking for figures, earmarks and errors and coming up with the best out-of-court proposal they could muster for Gozaburo's daughter. The legal team would have to approve the few points that involved the company, but Mokuba had already called for a conference first thing in the morning. Finished, the fatigued pair parted ways to go to their separate bedrooms. So much had happened in just one day, but the exhaustion of mind and body helped Seto fall asleep easily.

Tuesday afternoon was a duplicate of the day before except Mokuba was considerably less energetic. He had arrived with take-out boxes and ate while he and Seto discussed the meeting before the other party arrived. Yui announced Hayes and Sabrina promptly at 2:00 and they were again greeted and seated with the coldest of courtesies.

"I see no point in idle chit-chat, let's get right to it," Mokuba pushed a packet of papers toward her with a series of figures on it. Despite it being aimed squarely at the heiress, her lawyer seized the proposal to look it over.

"We have adjusted all figures for inflation, but not increase in property value or accrued interest. As you've never paid taxes or probate on anything, we found it only fair to offer you the cash equivalent of the value of all properties he owned," he elaborated. "We also are willing pay this out in a lump sum or in monthly annuities"

The division of the estate and insurance were impressive. At his death, the man had a personal worth of 12 million dollars. Sabrina seemed neither shocked nor excited to be receiving a third of it.

"There are a few provisos of course," the Kaibacorp lawyer produced two more documents, handing them across the desk one at a time. "This is an agreement that the 2% of KaibaCorp stock cannot be sold without approval for five years, and this is a nondisclosure agreement that both of you will sign to prevent any gold diggers from jumping on the paternity bandwagon. It also prohibits Miss Harrison from changing her last name to Kaiba."

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks," Sabrina muttered under her breath.

"And her employment?" Hayes asked.

"You can apply for a position like everyone else," Mokuba replied, though it was clearly Seto's words coming out of his mouth. "Positions here are given out based on merit. Even I had to go through the application and hiring process. We will, however, guarantee her an interview. She has credentials and could be an asset to the company, but you must realize we can't afford to give jobs away as some sort of compensation; it would jeopardize our integrity and quality of work.:

Hayes exhaled deeply and handed the papers to his client. "How long do we have to think about it?" he inquired?

"If she wants the interview before you leave for America, Wednesday. After that, she'd have to interview with our North American HQ in California. We ensured you'd get an offer today so you would have the weekend to think it over."

"We'll discuss it and get with your legal department as soon as we've come to our final decision. Now, if we have nothing else to discuss, we thought we could go see the tourist attractions before the close of the week."

"Of course, as always feel free to contact us with any questions you have." Mokuba remained seated creating an awkwardness as Hayes and Sabrina stood, expecting to be walked to the door and exchange pleasantries. After a moment and a quick glance to Seto who was also sitting his ground, they saw themselves out.

The relief when they left the office was almost tangible: Seto, because he no longer had to endure the bombardment of emotions he had to mask, Mokuba because he was hiding his exhaustion with professionalism. The elder relaxed his shoulders while the younger slumped forward, resting his head on the desk.

"So tired," he mumbled, "Need nap."

"You can curl up in one of the armchairs and sleep for a bit." Set offered, "You used to do it all the time when I worked late."

"I used to fit," he groggily retorted, "Do you have one of those ridiculous coats I can use as a blanket?"

"As a matter of fact," Seto stood, ignoring the jab, "I might have a spare in here." His office had a bathroom and Seto kept a few changes of clothes in case he stayed through the night at work. As chance would have it, one of his old dueling capes was hanging in the closet. If he was the sort of person who felt remorse, he might have felt a tinge of embarrassment about his flamboyant phase, but he felt neither. He draped the massively long cloak over Mokuba's shoulders. His brother grunted a thank you.

"I need my desk back," Seto said with a patience he reserved only for Moki. He put his hands on the back of the roller chair.

"Too tired. Can't move. Sleep."

His older brother pulled the chair back, stretching Moki between the chair and desk, ignoring his groanings in protest. When the chair slid out from underneat him, he stubbornly slumped on the floor. Seto exhaled sharply. "Do I have to carry you?" Seto rolled his eyes at his sibling's antics.

"Carry." Mokuba muttered.

"Spoiled brat," he snorted. Nevertheless, he knelt and scooped Moki into his arms. Twenty-one or not, he was still Seto's baby brother. He couldn't carry him piggy back like he used to, his 'little' brother was too tall and too heavy, but Kaiba managed a semi-bridal style carry, laying his brother in the cushioned armchair and tucking him in with the cape.

His desk finally free, the CEO returned to his computer, going back to sifting through proposals for a new project. He'd read every detail of over thirty presentations, but nothing stood out to him as a winner.

Offer to partner with another game developer to provide hardware and peripherals? No. He didn't want to depend on other companies to make his devices successful.

Another Duel Monsters tournament? Those brought out more crazies than they did big spenders.

A Duel Monsters movie? Too much investment with no guarantee of a return.

A dueling academy? What is that? What even is that?

Hologram environment technology? Seto read over the proposal sent to him by the head of product testing. Where most tech companies were trying to capitalize on the VR visors to simulate reality by manipulating brainwaves, why not manipulate the environment with holograms instead. KaibaCorp already had the most advanced hologram technology, ones that could be heard, seen as opaque, and even feel; why not further it to create and entire simulated experience? Adding a little AI and keeping a tight control of the temperature could turn an empty room into a medieval banquet, a tour of Notre Dame, or a zombie infested hospital. The possibilities ranged from practical application to pure entertainment. The best part of pursuing holograms over VR was a lack of danger it posed to the users. VR helmets were deadly with microwaves, the newly designed visors had caused seizures and left people helpless to outside dangers. With KaibaCorp controlling the room, users were still fully immersed but in a safe construct that did not limit actual perception and under constant supervision by qualified technicians. The proposal went on to further suggest what technologies would need be researched, estimated costs and a tentative schedule before the release of a test type.

It was a good idea; building on what they already exceled at while eating into the Virtual Reality market. Profits might take time, but it was a solid investment in a field where there was demand. He typed an email to the head of product testing asking him to condense and refine his proposal for a board meeting scheduled for the end of the month.

Now he just had to find a way to tell Mokuba what he'd been silent about for ten years.


	5. Obligatory RetCon

At 5:00 pm, when Kaiba was finished for the day, he woke his brother.

"Time to go home?" he asked between stretching and yawning.

"We're actually going to the museum," Seto replied as he hung up his dueling cape.

"Why?"

"Remember when I said I'd explain everything? The museum has some visual aids for the explanation."

"Are you sure you're ok?" Mokuba asked, eyes still squinting as they adjusted to the light. "First the woman, then Yugi, now a museum?"

"They all connect, I assure you. Just let me show you, preferably before it closes."

Due to a massive donation by Maximillian Pegasus to the Domino Museum of Science and History the 'tour of Thebes' became a permanent exhibit. At such a late hour, the museum was free of tour groups and field trips, leaving only a few visitors scattered throughout the building.

After paying the fee and being run through security, the Kaiba brothers stood in front of the giant hieroglyphs retrieved from the Valley of Kings. Seto remembered vividly the first time he stood there with Ishizu. He'd denied what she had told him about his past and his future. He refused to believe the absurdity of reincarnation and fate. Would Moki be just as skeptical?

"Do you know what these are?" Seto asked as a way to break the ice.

"Giant rocks?"

"You are so sassy, you know that? No wonder you're a good lawyer."

Mokuba laughed at his own joke before pointing to some of the creatures depicted on the 'giant rock' "It's supposed to be the root origins of Duel Monsters. The Egyptians had monsters carved into stone tablets and would pit them against each other, but I'm not sure how they determined which one was stronger." He gazed over the pictures again. He'd seen the exhibit years ago when he was still in school. "Maximillian Pegasus used the core concepts to create the game mechanics, and the drawings here as inspiration most of the monsters in the game. Also, Yugi's nameless pharaoh was the best at it, during his time."

"All true," admitted his older brother, "Though the tour guides probably leave out the part where the monsters were real. They were sealed and summoned out of the stone tables to fight."

"So, where'd the monsters come from?" One thing Seto liked about his brother: he caught on quickly.

"People. Some people had otherworldly being inside them. Some were humanoid, some were animalistic, some were violent, some weren't, but under Pharaoh Atem's reign, they were extracted and sealed using the millennium items." He pointed to the chiseled engraving of the pharaoh's image."

"That was Yugi's pharaoh? Yami?"

"Atem," Seto corrected, "But there's more." He guided Mokuba's attention to the pharaoh's opponent. "That's me, or a past incarnation of me." The shock on his younger brother's face was expected. "Yeah. I was a priest named Set, and Atem and Set were cousins. When Atem sealed himself to keep the evil from destroying the world, Set became pharaoh."

It was too much at once. Mokuba shook his head in disbelief. "How? How do you know all this?"

"I saw it. Ten years ago, when we all went to Egypt. Me, Yugi, and all his dork friends. During all that, I saw my past and the Pharaoh's battle for even and even helped him defeat Zorc."

"Zorc?"

"Zorc was a demon trying to destroy the world, but Pharaoh Atem defeated him an was able to return to his own time." Seto had to admit the more he talked, the crazier it sounded.

"And you were a priest and you fought with monsters against Yugi and…" Mokuba spotted the stone table Set was depicted summoning, "That's your Blue Eyes." He fell silent as the reality of it all hit him. "And now, instead of fighting stone tablets with monsters on them fighting Atem, you fight cards with monsters on them fighting Yugi. Look, look, he even has the Black Magician. Holy crap, Bro, when were you going to tell me all this?"

"There's actually one more thing," Seto exhaled and took a deep breath before delivering the final bit of exposition, "Remember when I told you the monsters came from people? Some people would bind their soul energy with their monster to make it stronger. And when they were sealed, they died. Atem's most loyal priest did this, binding his life force with his monster to give his king a powerful weapon against Zorc. The Black Magician was the result."

"And?"

"And the owner of the Blue Eyes White Dragon did the same for Set, for me."

"Who was he?"

"She was a woman Set had fallen in love with. Her name was Kisara and I watched as she died in Set's arms, defending him with her life and after her death. I never imagined in all my life that I'd see her again, much less host her in my office."

"Sabrina was the woman from your past life!" His outburst drew attention from the few patrons remaining. Seto hushed his brother. "What does all this mean then?" Mokuba asked lowering his voice, "Her being here? Are you two supposed to fall in love and get married?"

"I don't know," Kaiba responded, "Kisara and Sabrina are very different, just as Set and I are very different. I just thought you should know. That's why I froze when we first met, that's why I went to Yugi and I know it all sounds insane, but it's true."

Mokuba gave his brother a juvenile smile, "It sounds so cool though. Seeing your past life crashing into your present, it's like a sci-fi fantasy novel."

"You're taking this incredibly well," Seto pointed out.

"What? Did you think I wouldn't believe you?"

"I didn't believe Ishizu when she first told me. Or any of the times she told me."

"That's because you have a stick up your butt and no sense of adventure. Seto, my soul got trapped in a friggin trading card after I was kidnapped by Maximillian Pegasus. I saw card games put people in comas. This is about par for the course." His mind was racing with thoughts of matchmaking, and life-and-death games. "Am I allowed to ask questions? About your past and stuff?"

Seto sighed in exasperation. "In the car yes. Not here."

It took all of Mokuba's self-control not to blast him with questions the walk out of the museum back to the car. Once they were seated in the back Mokuba was literally bouncing up and down like a child until his brother finally gave the go ahead:

"Fine, ask away."

"If you were supposed to help Yugi, then why are you two dueling on the 'giant rock'?"

"My mind was being controlled by my father, or Set's father. He wanted to serve Zorc and used me to attack Pharaoh Atem." Kaiba explained.

"So our dad was a douche in our past lives too?"

"Yeah…he's also Ishizu's dad."

Mokuba raised an eyebrow. "In the past?"

"No in the present?"

"Huh?"

"Set's father in the past was Ishizu and Marik's father in the present, at least until Marik murdered him. Understandable."

Mokuba took a brief moment to think up another line of questioning. "So who else was in the past, or had past lives, beside you and Yugi, and evidently Ishizu's father."

Kaiba considered not explaining why Yugi was different, but he was detail oriented to obsession. "Technically Yugi isn't Atem's reincarnation. Atem's soul went into the Millenium Puzzle, not reborn into Yugi even though he was destined to one day hold Atem's soul. He just wasn't born with it."

"Ok, so aside from you and Ishizu's dad, who else?"

"Me, Ishizu, Sabrina, Yugi's grandpa, and Ishiz's father. There was also Bakura, but he also was similar to Yugi: a thief named Bakura sealed his soul into the Millenium Ring so when Ryo got it, he became the host for the thief Bakura."

"Bakura?" Mokuba hadn't heard the name in years. "None of Yugi's friends though?"

Kaiba shook his head. "They were Yugi's friends, not Atem's. Atem's friends bonded their soul energy with their 'ka's the monsters living inside, and now are cards in Yugi's deck: Black Magician and Black Magician Girl."

"So…I wasn't there either?" Even though it was a past life, not being included in Seto's previous adventures somehow made him feel left out.

"No, you weren't," Kaiba thought for a moment, "Well, maybe you were, but I didn't see you in the Pharaoh's memories because you'd been kidnapped while the end of the world was going on."

"Shut up!" Mokuba said with mock indignation, "I got kidnapped as a means to get you, you know. It's all your fault."

"Fair enough, I suppose."

"So, were you seeing all of this through Set's eyes?"

This one was harder to explain. Seto had to think before answering. "It was more like being a ghost. I could see and hear everything and move about at will, but no one could see me and I couldn't change anything or interact with anything."

"And Sabrina? She and Set were lovers? Betrothed?"

"Neither, she was an outcast," Kaiba's eyes wandered to the visions of her hanging limp in Set's arms, "Set saved her from being stoned by a village and nursed her back to health. They bonded over it, but then Aknadin tried to attack Set when he chose Atem over a chance to seize the throne. Kisara took an attack meant for Set and was mortally wounded. Her dying wish was to protect the one person who'd shown her kindness. He sealed her soul with her ka into a stone table and the Blue Eyes was born. Even after thousands of years, we're still connected."

"Like Radames and Aida." The younger found the star-crossed Egyptian lovers a fair comparison.

"At least they got to die together," Seto lamented. " Set had to rule the rest of his life alone knowing even in death he would never see Kisara again. Her soul was merged with the Blue Eyes sealed in a stone table. He ruled, died, and spent eternity alone." As he spoke, he couldn't help but think of Yugi. The spiky haired shrimp had given so much of himself to others but now in what was supposed to be the prime of his life, he was alone. No Tea, no Wheeler, not much left of a family with his grandfather's health declining. Nothing but his tiny game shop. Kaiba at least had Mokuba, but Yugi had no one.

"She was with him in spirit," Mokuba tried to offer some comfort. "And now you have a second chance with Sabrina."

Kaiba's handsome face contorted from pensive to disdain. "Kisara was meek, shy, pure and it made her all the more beautiful. Sabrina Harrison is cunning, sharp, and aggressive. If Kisara is somewhere inside her, she's very well concealed.

The driver interrupted their conversation when he pulled under the portico that was the entrance to the Kaiba mansion. The interrogation was far from over. Over dinner, Mokuba pelted Seto with and endless barrage of questions. Kaiba tried to answer all of them fully, but they come so many and so fast, he often had to interrupt himself to keep up with his brother.

How did Bakura work into this whole story?

What exactly was Zorc? How did Atem defeat him?

Could people with 'ka's summon them or did they just live within a person until they were extracted? Did the extraction process hurt?

How did they move the giant stone tablets from one place to another? Who got to keep which ones? Did they trade them like Duel Monsters cards?

What happened if someone won or lost a Shadow Game? Did they make bets or was there a set prize?

How did the Millennium Items work?

What did Ishizu do in her past life?

What kind of priest was Set? To what deity?

Why did the Shadow Games stop with Atem?

Was Kisara prettier than Sabrina? Or did they look the exact same?

Was Atem's hair as crazy as Yugi's?

Did Seto get to see any Shadow Games take place? Was it cool?

Were the monsters astral projections or actual physical creatures that could tear stuff up?

After an hour and a half, Mokuba finally ran out of questions to ask, and left Kaiba in his office to get some time to himself. Mentally exhausted, the mogul just sat in his lounge chair, enjoying the quiet for a few minutes. It didn't last long. He couldn't' just sit and do nothing, it wasn't in his nature. He retrieved an ol violin from a cabinet below his bookshelves and removed it from the case. It hadn't been played in months and the strings needed replacing, but the bow was still good and it was still playable.

It was almost therapeutic fine tuning each string back into perfect pitch. It took time to get all four strings in harmony and coat the bow with sufficient rozin, but he enjoyed having something productive to do without being work. When he was first adopted, Gozaburo required Seto to take violin as a means of teaching him culture and self-control, but over time, money became more important and the violin, along with all of his toys and games were disposed of as being "unnecessary distractions." He'd learned enough though to keep going on his own. He started first with just scales, then arpeggios, not playing any tune in particular, just creating harmony. The tones resonated throughout his office as the scales became smoother and faster, then turned into melodies. And for a while, he just played, letting the tones resonating through his office relax him.

A knock on his office door interrupted his concentration. He scowled until Mokuba stuck his head in the door. "What's up?" he asked, all trace of his displeasure and being interrupted gone.

"I know I bugged you all through dinner, but I have one more question and then I promise I'm done," Mokuba plead, sliding into his office all the way so he could close the door behind him.

"What is it?"

"You said Kisara's soul was sealed away in the tablet, bound to her ka right?"

'Where is he going with this?' Kaiba thought, "Yeah, why?" he said aloud.

"If her soul was in the stone table, how did it get reincarnated into Sabrina."

Seto leaned forward and placed his violin on the coffee table, gently loosening the bow before placing it down as well. He looked down, trying to think of an answer.

"I don't know," he said finally, "But I do know what we can do to find out."


	6. Obligatory Sci-Fi BS

Seto Kaiba could be compulsive at times, but he also knew how to be patient. Keeping to his resolution to handle one thing at a time, he prioritized getting Sabrina's inheritance settled and sending her back to the US. Once she was gone, he focused on running his company, waiting for an opportunity to seize.

That opportunity came at the board meeting three weeks later. The head of product testing, a middle aged Mongolian man named Dzhambul gave his proposal to the board of trustees.

Dzhambul had a slideshow to accompany his presentation, but his enthusiasm on his face and voice were far more convincing than any pictures on a screen.

"Since the earliest days of gaming, developers have sought out ways to make technology more immersive. The creation of the Nervegear helmet made full sensory immersion possible, but at what cost? Some 6,700 deaths and irreversible trauma to tens of thousands more," the department head clicked through pictures as he spoke, 'And what was the solution to killer VR helmets? Killer VR visors. Statistics show that Japan has had an increase in several medical issues including seizures, malnutrition, sleep-deprivation, dehydration, muscular atrophy, DVT, and toxic shock syndrome, all due to the misuse of full dive VR. Owners of the visors are also victims of more crimes, including home invasions, robberies and even murder and sexual assault. Criminals target known gamers to prey on them when they are in a helpless state." For a moment, the department head forgot to cue in his scripted pictures of pie graphs showing the sources of his statics, caught up in the passion of his presentation.

"'There ahs to be a better way.' you tell yourself. How can we have the advancements in technology we do but still turn to an inherently flawed method of immersion? The answer is simple, there is no alternative. Until today."

The faces seated around the table remained grave, but were nonetheless intrigued.

"KaibaCorp has been the leader in hologram technology for the past fifteen years, refining both the hardware and software in to perfection. We can use this technology to offer a safer, healthier and more interactive gaming experience than any VR system can offer. Using our patented hologram fiber optics, a single room can lead you through the busy streets of NYC, or let you perform open heart surgery, or even find the cure for an unknown zombie outbreak." Dzhambul flicked through pictures to the accompanying scenarios. "If we continue researching light refraction combined with electromagnetic forcefields, we can create more than just individual units that the user can se and hear, but ones that can be handled with distinct textures and hardness. Imagine being able to swim in the ocean as long as you want and emerge dry with no sand or lingering salt on your body. Imagine getting to feel the water with your own hands and with other real people, not interacting vicariously through some avatar. Imagine all of this conducted in a safe, climate controlled and supervised setting. Gentlemen, we have the tools to make this a reality. We can guide the world into the future because we made the journey there first. Let's beat the competition to the future, shall we?" With a final click, the last slide disappeared, leaving a white screen. Confidence seemed to come out of his pores as he opened the floor to questions.

The concept seemed to be well received. The room came a live as the board members asked question after question ranging in topics from cost to liability to profit projection. Dzhambul almost seemed to enjoy having full grown men fight for his attention. Eventually the topic of a launch 'environment' came up.

"Is there a specific way you plan on launching?"

"Yes. Rather than several locations with three or four small environments, I suggest we don one large combination indoor-outdoor scenario either at a created location or possibly KaibaLand. Focusing on just one would give us the ability to deliver the highest quality and biggest scope."

"Any specific environment you have in mind?" Mokuba asked.

"Indeed, I do. I considered several venues, but the best idea I think would be a Duel Monsters theme," Dzam explained. "It gives us both options to show off the new concept while still appealing to our current customer base. The scenario has a diversity of lighting, color and textures as well as delivering an experience not comparable to a real-world experience."

"What does that mean?"

"No one has ever seen Thebes at the height of its glory and battled monsters against each other…"

Mokuba sneaked a short glance at his brother, who was glancing back.

"They can't compare that kind of simulated experience to a real one," the Mongolian man continued. "People can however visit the Great Wall of China. Why give people something they can compare to the original. We have a chance to break into the field with something no one else can duplicate or find elsewhere, why would we waste this opportunity creating something they've seen before? Besides, it would be easy to incorporate all of the Duel Monsters holograms we've already created. Everything about this concept screams profit, capturing a market, and revolutionizing the field, and we will call it: The Dawn of the Duel."

"It's over-the-top enough to be a KaibaCorp production," Mokuba muttered quietly enough only a few heard.

"You've really put a lot of thought into this," a long-standing trustee noted.

Dzambul halted before offering a reply. "Holograms are my passion, sir. That's why I work here."

"Well, your passion is certainly contagious," Mokuba replied, "If there are no other questions, I think it's time to put the proposal to a vote."

The proposal and its budget were almost universally approved.

Immediately after it passed, Seto made a motion to adjourn, which was unanimously approved. While most of the trustees dispersed to go to lunch, the brothers lingered in the conference room. Dzam unplugged his laptop from the projection system before giving Seto a vigorous handshake.

"I can't tell you how grateful I am for this opportunity, sir," he beamed with an irrepressible smile.

"You do good work," Seto said flatly, prying his hand free when the handshake lasted longer than what he deemed appropriate. "I'd like to get started right away. I take it you will be needing a private team of programmers and testers?"

"Yes, sir, and the sooner the better." The department head nodded vigorously.

"Start internally. The best hologram programmers and developers in the world work for me."

Dzam clenched his fists as if working up the nerve to make his next statement. "The best hologram programmer in the world is Seto Kaiba."

The CEO raised his eyebrow. He was of course correct but the implication of pointing it out was incredibly risky on his part. "Are you asking me to program for your project?"

"Listen, sir. We could have a great product or a perfect one, depending how involved you are in the creation of the software. I am convinced of it."

"I have a corporation to run, Mr. Yadamsuren," Seto responded. "I hardly have the time to dedicate to a specific project."

"Even a project that could redefine the future of the company?"

Kaiba shot a look at his underling that made him realize he'd overstepped his bounds. Dzambul recoiled. "Can I at least ask for your oversight? Even if it's just the first month? We'd have a solid foundation that we could build on."

He could never say it, but Seto silently admired his persistence.

"One month then," he agreed. "Where do we start?"

Dzam's smile returned. "We start with a field research team to the valley of Kings. Record everything from the texture of the sand to the temperature and humidity. If we want to re-create Egypt, we are going to do it right down to the last detail. I also think we should have a team of Subject Matter Experts on Egyptian history and religion.

"As luck would have it, I know a guy…and woman now that I think of it," Kaiba said. "I'll have Yui contact them when I return to my office. Get me a list of everyone on the project and the field team by next week."

"Will do, sir," Dzam saluted, "Again, sir, thank you for the opportunity."

"No, thank you for your vision," Mokuba corrected. He grabbed his brother's arm. "Food?"

Kaiba nodded. The brothers wished their new project head a good afternoon before leaving the conference room.

"Everyone seems well pleased with the proposal," Mokuba mused in the privacy of the elevator.

"Mhmm," Seto grunted.

"I think Dzambul's enthusiasm was contagious," Moki continued, "I like him. He's a bit excitable but I think an undertaking as big as this will need someone that's high energy."

"Indeed," Seto agreed.

"How much did you pay him to suggest Egypt?" the younger turned to face his brother, hoping he'd flinch with the sudden accusation.

It was to no avail. Instead of looking the least bit surprised, the elder brother let out a short, cynical laugh. "He would have done it had I merely recommended his proposal to the board, but I did compensate him with an increase in his salary. A substantial one."

"So now we go to Egypt. With a team of KaibaCorp employees."

"And Yugi and Ishizu," Seto added.

"Your SME's? You've thought of everything."

The elevator pulled to a halt at the second basement. "Except what I want for lunch," Kaiba smiled as he stepped through the metal doors. "Come on. One thing at a time. Lunch first, Egypt later."

After lunch, Kaiba spent the afternoon sifting through his programmers and developers from the various worldwide KaibaCorp offices. While for now it was just a means to an end to research the past, that didn't' mean that Seto had no intention of bringing 'DotD' (Mokuba insisted more people would be interested if it were called 'project double D' but Seto stoutly refused to call it that.) to its fullest potential. He compiled a list of coders he had worked with and knew would be a good fit, emailing the list to Mr. Yadamsuren. When he was finished, he paged Yui.

"Yui, could you look up a private number for me?"

"Of course, sir what's the name?"

"Muoto, Yugi,"

"Yugi Muoto. THE Yugi Muoto?"

Kaiba pressed the intercom button harder as if that would help cut her off faster. "Yes, the former Duel Monsters champion. I need a cell phone number for him."

"Already have it. Shall I call it and patch you through?"

"Please do," he stated more as a command than a request.

In just a few seconds, Kaiba was transferred into the outgoing call. The other end rang several times before Kaiba decided Yugi was working, but just before he hung up, the line connected.

"Hello?"

"Yugi, it's Seto Kaiba. Again."

"Wow, you weren't bluffing when you promised to keep in touch. What's up?"

"I have a business proposition for you. KC is taking a research team to Thebes to research the origins of Duel Monsters and I would like to take you along as a subject matter expert."

"As an expert on Egypt?" Yugi's voice sounded skeptical.

"On paper, it would be as an expert on Duel Monsters. In reality, you, Moki, and I will be trying to find more information about Kisara."

"But my shop," Yugi objected.

"They can't spare you three weeks?" Kaiba insisted, "You'll be well compensated for your time and it might be good for you to take a break from the grind. Just leave it to your underlings, what's the worst that could happen?"

"Kaiba, I don't have any employees. It's just me."

Seto couldn't imagine it. He'd had the luxury of being able to delegate since before the company take-over. "You need people," he insisted. "I'll arrange replacement employees for you; qualified retail experts to keep your shop while you're gone and I ensure their pay is commission based so they have incentive to sell and build customer relations."

"I guess I can't say no if you're bending over backward to get me to go. When do we leave?"

"I'll let you know as soon as our field team is put together. We just greenlit the project a few hours ago, but it shouldn't be long. Two weeks at the most and then we're on our way back to the land of our pasts."

"Ooh, can we take the blimp?" Yugi asked, tongue-in-cheek.

"No," Seto sulked, "Mokuba made me get rid of the blimp."

"Party pooper!"

"I know. I hate having him around sometimes, he's so financially responsible." His tone indicated that he was dead serious.

Yugi laughed. "I suppose it can still be an adventure without the blimp."

"It is. Just not as fun. Speaking of fun getting sucked out of an adventure, I also have to call Ishizu today, and I'd like to get her before she heads into work. She's rarely in her office. It's almost 7:30 in Alexandria."

"Say no more, I'll let you go. Just keep me posted," Yugi digressed. "I think you're right, I think I need a break from the rut. Thank you Kaiba."

"I'll call you some time next week," Kaiba promised, "I look forward to working with you again. Goodbye."

Seto hung the phone on the cradle and leaned his elbows on the desk, steepling his fingers. His plan was coming along perfectly.

While Seto was making calls to Yugi and Ishizu, Mokuba made a call on his own from his private office a few floors down. Neither as big or ornate, Moki's office was far cozier, though less used. Mokuba spent little time in his office. Today, he sat with his keyboard in his lap and his feet propped up on the desk as he cradled the phone receiver on his shoulder. The head of art design was a personal friend of his; probably because they were about the same age.

"What can I help you with today?" he asked the younger Kaiba.

"I wanted to ask about a woman you interviewed a few weeks back. A Sabrina Harrison."

"The American," his friend responded. "I personally didn't interview her, but I saw her resume; thought it was impressive. Did legal find something of concern?"

"No, not at all. I want you to hire her."

"I had planned on it," he replied.

"Good, then I need to call in that favor." Mokuba knew they both understood what was owed him. Mokuba had covered for his friend, lying to his girlfriend to keep her from finding out about an upcoming proposal. It'd saved the surprise and he was certainly in Moki's debt.

"Anything," he promised.

"I want you to expedite her paperwork so you can put her on the new hologram environment project, and also put her with us on the away team that's going to Egypt here in a few weeks."

"Is there a reason you want her on that trip so badly?" he asked.

"Yes," Mokuba said shortly.

"Are you going to tell me?"

"No."

"Is she hot?"

"Maybe. Maybe not." Mokuba figured it would be better for him to think he was interested rather than give no reason at all. It might keep him from asking questions later on.

"She's hot, isn't she?" he insisted.

"Ok, yes. Smokin. Now can you get her contract ready to go by then?"

"For you? I can make it happen." He promised, "I take it Seto isn't supposed to be privy to this?"

"Absolutely not."

"We have a deal. Consider my debt fulfilled."

"Fair. We're even. See you around."

Mokuba hung the phone on the cradle and leaned his elbows on the desk, steepling his fingers. His plan was coming along perfectly.

A/N: This will probably be my last update for a while. For right now, my inspiration has left me and I am able to work on my actual book. With my other project and other things going on, I probably won't be able to post another chapter for a solid three weeks. I will come back to it, I promise.


	7. All the Elevator Cliches

Within two weeks, Dzambul had established a team to start work on 'project Double D', dividing the members into a 'home base' that would cover the hard coding and programming and an 'away team' that would be regularly sent into the field for gathering information on whichever environment they were working on at the time. KaibaCorp programmers from Korea and Singapore arrived the evening before, as did the fiber optics specialist and new graphic designer, both from the US. A handful of other internationals mingled with the Domino residents at a sort of meet-and-greet before the project formally began the next Monday.

Due to a lengthy (and suspiciously timed) conference call, Seto was the last of the group of thirty or so to arrive at the conference room in the KC headquarters. Amid the throng of new faces, he spotted Yugi Muoto and greeted him first.

"The guy you sent me really knew his stuff," he commented as they shook hands, "I feel like I can rest easy while I'm gone knowing my shop is in such good hands."

"I stole him from Industrial Illusions a few years back. He seemed eager to be out of a cubicle for a little while," Seto commented, "So it works out well for all three of us."

"Also," Yugi leaned in and lowered his voice, "That Sabrina Harrison woman looks exactly like Kisara. It's…it's uncanny."

Kaiba furrowed his brow. "When did you meet her?"

Yugi pointed at the refreshment table where Sabrina was conversing with Karin Kurosaki, the storyboard director.

"How did she get assigned to this?" Kaiba asked casually, despite internally scrambling for answers as to how this factoid had eluded him until now and how he was going to handle having her in such close quarters until the product launch. "She's not on the Egypt team, is she?" The look on Yugi's face told him she was. "I wonder how she managed that."

"So what exactly are we looking for when we get to Thebes?" the SME asked, trying change the subject. "I mean, archaeologists and unearthed all there is to see. What do you expect to find?"

"Hopefuly we can find out why she," he nodded at Kisara's double, "is here at all if her soul is bound inside a stone etching and if anything else is prophesied about her or us being reunited for some reason. I've downloaded all of the records from Maximillian Pegasus' digs and am sifting through them a little each day hoping to find something. Perhaps your grandfather and his partner found something. Do you have access to their research?"

"I can try," Yugi offered weakly, "Some university in California has all of their archives since they're the ones that sponsored that specific dig. I don't know if those records are digitized or even open to the public."

"Just let me know by Monday. If we need to, we can call in a few favors, but let's try without them first."

The meet-and-greet was officially over at 2:30. One by one, the workers filed out, cramming the elevators going down, either to their offices or to their respective hotel rooms. It was Friday and everyone wanted to finish with their daily tasks and get on the move before heavy traffic hit. Yugi and Seto were the last ones to leave the conference room noticing from behind that Kisara was hanging back as the others piled into the elevator. 'Not Kisara,' Seto had to mentally correct himself. 'Sabrina.'

"There's room for one more," Honda, the textures specialist said as he held the door open, leaving a chance for her to get on.

Sabrina held up a palm apologetically. "Oh, no. I need to go up. I have to swing by accounting to change my address."

"I need to clear something up," Kaiba said under his breath as he saw an opportunity, "If you'll excuse me," was all the farewell he gave his old schoolmate.

"Got it." He nodded. "Just remember, office relationships are against company policy." He then quickened his step calling: "Hold the door!" to ensure a ride down. As the doors closed, Yugi stood front and center giving Kaiba thumbs up and winking.

Kaiba rolled his eyes in disgust at the gesture. "Same old Yugi," he muttered to himself as the lobby emptied, leaving he and Sabrina alone.

"He seems quite chummy with you," she commented on Yugi's behavior. "Are you two friends?"

"He would say we're friends, but no. We just went to high school together," Kaiba replied coldly, "Did I hear you say you needed to go to accounting?"

"Yeah," she replied without facing him directly, "I found an apartment here in Domino and I need to change my address."

"I'm heading that way, you can ride with me." He led her to the far elevator and used his keycard to call the lift up. His elevator was blissfully lacking the Muzak as they began ascending in silence.

"I take it you're going to see your brother since Legal is on the same floor," Sabrina said, trying to make casual conversation.

Instead of replying, he pressed the emergency stop button on the side console. The elevator jolted and stopped; the lights switching to the emergency LED's casting stark shadows in the tiny carriage. It wasn't the first time Kaiba had used his personal elevator to isolate someone for a private conversation. He and Mokuba reserved all of their serious disagreements for this exact venue, away from prying eyes and ears. He'd also used this tactic to intimidate business partners and clients that needed to be persuaded to see things from KaibaCorp's perspective. The tight space and bad lighting was meant to be disarming at the least.

Sabrina pulled her shoulders in and took a step back to steady herself. "What is this?" she snarled indignantly.

Kaiba turned to face her. "You're going to tell me how the devil you managed to get on this project." He demanded.

"Is this how you have business meetings?" she growled. She reached for the emergency stop button only to have Kaiba seize her by the wrist and hold it away.

"We are not going anywhere until I get answers." He remained, as ever, perfectly detached, each statement coming across as if he treated everyone else with this little regard.

She tried to wretch her arm free, but he tightened his grip. After two tries, she raised her free hand to punch him.

"I wouldn't advise assaulting the CEO of one of the largest and most lucrative corporations in the world. That would not look good on your resume."

"What do you want from me?" she tried pulling away. There was a strain in her voice, perhaps panic.

He leaned forward to captivate her eye contact. "The truth. Why are you even here at all? Why did you want to work for KaibCorp so desperately you'd try to work it into the inheritance settlement? Why leave behind your widowed mother and established life in your home country to move here? What are you trying to accomplish?"

"Because I wanted to prove Gozaburo wrong!" she defiantly locked eyes with him.

"What does that even mean? He didn't even know you and he can't know you now."

"When I was ten, my mother wrote Gozaburo Kaiba a letter explaining that I was his daughter and while she would never pursue any kind of compensation, it might be good for me if he could be involved in my life some way. He wrote back saying I was a mistake and he neither needed nor wanted a daughter. He had two promising sons that a girl could never compete with and never to contact him again on the matter." Her eyes teared up in frustration, her muscles relaxing as she stopped resisting the grip on her arm, resigned to the fact she was at his mercy. "When you're 18, and you find out that your real father wasn't the man that raised you, but the man that did sire you didn't think you were enough because you were a girl and a mistake, it's really crushing. Sometimes you even start to believe it. I'm here to prove to myself that I can start out with what you started out with and still be a success."

As she spoke, Kaiba saw her icy blue eyes soften and convey true pain. He knew all too well what Gozaburo's rejection felt like and secretly, he empathized. He narrowed his eyes, shifting his focus back to the topic at hand. "And this project?" he asked, his voice less accusatory, but maintaining his apathetic façade.

"I assumed you put me on it to keep an eye on me, in case I tried stealing company secrets."

He raised an eyebrow. "You didn't pull any strings or strike any deals?" He was still skeptical. Surely someone with more tenure would have been assigned.

"I swear on my two percent of KaibaCorp, I had nothing to do with being placed on Project Double D." She raised her free hand as if being sworn into the witness stand, pursing her lips, clearly irritated he didn't believe her the first time. "Satisfied?"

"So long as you meet expectations." He released her hand. "If you can't keep up with the rest of the team, I'll have you pulled."

Sabrina crossed her arms. "Fine."

He smirked. "I know it's fine, I own the company." Without taking his eyes off her, he extended his arm and restarted the elevator.

The carriage jolted upward, causing Kaiba to lurch forward. She instinctively put her hands on his chest to break his fall as he instinctively gripped her shoulders to regain his balance. There was a moment of panicked eye contact to confirm neither were hurt and to acknowledge the awkwardness of the situation before both stammered quick apologies and moved to opposite corners of the lift. Sabrina blushed, her ivory skin flaring red all the way down her neck and back to her ears. Kaiba both concealed his embarrassment better and recovered faster. B the time the silver doors opened, his composure had returned to its typical stony exterior. Sabrina scuffled out, looking over her shoulder when she realized he wasn't behind her.

"I thought you said we were going to the same floor."

Kaiba pushed a button to take him up to his office. "I lied."

The doors closed on her astonished face leaving the CEO with his thoughts. Finally, he'd gotten her alone and was able to see some of her true nature. She wasn't entirely cold and heartless as her sire, but she definitely had his drive and attitude.

But how did she get on the project?

There was definitely a spark of Kisara in her: sad, beautiful, insecure but with inner strength. But unlike Yami's memories, she was more than an image within a memory, she was flesh and blood; her skin was soft and she smelled like coconut. She was feminine, she was stunning and he found himself admiring her despite his initial impression.

But who put her on the Egypt team.

He could also tell she wasn't aware of her reincarnation, she would surely have approached him about it if they were alone together.

But why was she assigned to Project Double D?

"We have got to change the name of the project." He said aloud to his empty office. He paged Yui into his office to discuss personal business affairs while he was out of the office. Most of it was routine for whenever he was out of the country, but it didn't hurt refreshing protocol.

Pay all bills, say no to all invitations and requests. Schedule no meetings. Forward all emails, but no calls. Delay all major rennovations, inspections, maintenance work, and evaluations. In case of an emergency, the CFO, Ami Mizuno could make decisions up to $500 million USD. Also, change all internal references to the new project from 'Project Double D' to 'Project Dawn' and reprimand anyone who refuses the new name.

When Yui had returned to her reception desk, he pulled up an internal contact list to call the head of the graphics department. He had to know what possessed him to select Miss Harrison, but he couldn't make it sound like anything accusatory; it might arouse undue attention to Gozaburo's daughter or get her removed, neither of which he wanted. He decided to approach it as a boss with a concern: choosing someone so new to the company.

'I can do this,' he told himself, 'I can sound casual. I just have to ask him if he's sure she's right for the job and see if he gives up any information. He's an easy-going guy. He's friends with Mokuba.'

Mokuba.

"I'm going to kill him."


	8. Introduction of Intrigue and Subplot

The warehouses on the banks of the Nile both looked and smelled like they hadn't been maintained in years. Corrugated steel buildings were caked with dirt and rust. It was the perfect ruse: well lit, innocuous, close enough to Thebes but far enough out of town to have the sweet privacy they wanted, plus the roar of the river drowned out any loud noises made by man or machines. It was a central hub, research facility, storage unit and living quarters all rolled into one.

Balthazar Nimr spotted two figures through the glass of his fishbowl office in the center of the warehouse's first floor. One was his tech genius: a pretty Filipino girl, Maple Figaroa, completing her stereotype with coke bottle framed glasses and an open laptop in her arms. The other was the thorn in his side: Brian Harker. While he had no official job title, he essentially was tasked with gathering information from highly specific sources and thus far, he hadn't been worth his pay. A pity: the Irish mob in New York had recommended him so highly.

He opened the door looking to them, hoping they had already decided between themselves who would go first. By the apprehensive looks on their faces, they hadn't.

"Ladies first," Harker volunteered. Maple and Nimr both shot him a disapproving look; Maple for being voluntold and Nimr because he knew of Harker wanted to go second, he couldn't have good news.

"Miss Figaroa, then," he stood back to let her in and closed the door as she set the laptop on his conference table.

"You're busy so I'll make this short," she said, pulling up a long string of indecipherable coding, "You asked me to hack into Industrial Illusion's mainframe to get the sealed files on the Valley of Kings research Pegasus did back in the 80's. The firewall is easy enough to hack, but there's a honeypot program hard wired into their router. If I break in, they will know the firewall has been breached and there's a chance it could come back on us." She pointed to a string of the coding that her boss could only assume was relevant to the situation. "I know you value our anonymity, so I figured I'd ask before jeopardizing it."

Balthazar looked at the laptop as he thought. "See if you can find any other research teams or archeological digs from the Valley of Kings that went unpublished." He said finally, "There had to be some lucky amateur or college student that found something and we just need to sniff it out."

"I'll get to it sir," she straightened and picked the laptop up. She knew better than to waste her boss's time.

"Thank you and good luck," he said as he opened the door to let her out and Harker in. "More bad news?" he scowled at Harker, shutting the door behind him.

"That kid you gave me isn't exactly easy to work with," Brian put his hands in his pockets and leaned on the table, "He hasn't said anything useful since you brought him here over a month ago."

"He's the best clue we have," Nmir objected.

"He's impossible!" Harker retorted, "He has no valuable information under the truth serums. He claims he has no memory of his last trip to Egypt. He has no family, nothing we can threaten him with or use to intimidate him. He has nothing to lose by holding information and nothing to gain by saying anything."

"Maybe you should escalate to more physical means of persuasion," Balthazar suggested irritably.

"And risk unleashing his ka?" Harker frowned, "You specifically instructed me not to do him bodily harm."

"Listen, we have to get him to talk," Balthazar insisted, "We know he has a link to the shadow games in the past and a connection to Egypt in the present. Seamus recommended you to me because he said you could get information out with as little blood as possible. Isn't there something else you can do?"

"The only option left is trying to 'medicate' him into submission with hallucinogens, but if that fries his brain, we're left with nothing."

Balthazar frowned. He hated having to figure out solutions for everything; isn't that why he hired experts in the first place. Why couldn't they make the hard decisions, that way if it was a mistake, he could blame them. "Ok, try the hallucinogens. If they don't make him talk, you'll have to figure something out."

"I am fortunate to have some on hand," Harker replied with a smug nod, almost smiling. "I can start right away if you'd like."

"I see no point in wasting time," Balthazar sneered.

"Very well," he nodded again and showed himself out.

Toward the back of the warehouse, in a room that had no windows was an interrogation style room: divided in two, separated by a two-way mirror, one with only a chair, the other with recording equipment. The subject was brought in and strapped to the chair at the wrists and ankles. He was exhausted and malnourished enough, the restraints were hardly necessary. Bone white skin sagged on his emaciated frame as sunken brown eyes pled for mercy he was certain no one nearby was apt to show. His shoulder length white hair hung in front of his face in unkempt locks. He could barely resist as Harker entered the room with a syringe, plunging the needle into his forearm, now riddled with so many needle marks they might have been mistaken for freckles.

"Please no more," he begged weakly as he felt the fluid enter his veins, "Please, I don't remember anything."

"Perhaps you don't remember, but your brain still may have information I plan to extract," Harker replied, placing a hand on his shoulder, "and trust me, the nightmares you get from the trip aren't half as bad as the nightmares you get from the withdrawals."

He couldn't cry, he was too dehydrated to produce tears, but he sobbed nonetheless.

"Now, perhaps you can tell me, Ryo Bakura," Harker knelt down to his eye level, keeping the hand on his shoulder, "What happened to your Millennium Ring?"


	9. Way too many refernces

Even though Mokuba had sold the blimp, the research team was still riding in style in KaibaCorp's privately commissioned Learjet Global 5000. Mokuba had 'graciously allowed' the jet to be painted like a Blue Eyes White Dragons since Seto was also forced to decommission the Blue Eyes jet and put it as an attraction at KaibaLand. If Seto truly had wanted to keep either of them, he would have put his foot down as CEO, but he loved and trusted his brother's judgement enough when it came to making money for the company.

It was a 24-hour flight to Thebes, via New Delhi, Abu Dhabi, and Alexandria (where they were only stopping to take on Ishizu) giving the team plenty of time to get to know each other better and hammer out the finer points of their responsibilities from their superiors. There was plenty of food, a variety of drinks and even a small bunk section to keep everyone comfortable. The CEO had certainly spared no expense. Since few members of the team had worked together, he wanted them to bond in as comfortable of a setting as possible. After twenty hours in the air, the team as a whole had gotten to know each other and had a feel for the strengths and weaknesses for the group as a whole.

Only Seto steered clear of the mingling, choosing to work from the bunk area until Leo Caspari, the burly Swissman came back and began snoring loudly. Within five minutes, he was in the rear of the cabin where two seats faced two others with plenty of leg room, frowning with crossed arms.

"Dibs on not rooming with that guy when we get to the hotel," he insisted, knowing full well he'd probably be getting a room all to himself.

"Perhaps this will be a safe environment to get to know Sabrina," Yugi whispered to Kaiba.

Seto looked over his shoulder to see Sabrina chatting with Karin and Setsuna Noriega, the three ladies on the project. "I…I don't…It'll look like I'm flirting," Kaiba hissed back.

Mokuba leaned forward to contribute. "Trust me when I say this, bro: no one will ever think you're flirting with a girl."

"So everyone thinks I'm….?"

"Far too interested in making money to delve into the dating scene," Yugi interrupted, flashing Mokuba a wary glance.

"So, I'm exactly like Gozaburo?"

"Technically, no," Mokuba replied holding up a finger, nonchalantly gesturing to Sabrina.

"Can you just stop talking, yenta?" Kaiba snapped loudly enough that the two men sitting opposite the aisle looked their way. He lowered his voice, but kept the ferocity, "It's your fault she's even on this plane."

"It might not be so bad that she's here though. Perhaps being in Egypt around the artifacts in the Valley of Kings will give her memories of who she was," Yugi tried to placate the situation.

"I'm not sure I want that to happen," Kaiba rounded on him. "You of all people know that it's an awkward burden to bear."

"Just go talk to her," Yugi urged. "You just have to make it look like it's all part of the job. Make the rounds, talk to everyone so it doesn't look like you're singling her out."

Kaiba died a little internally. Talking to people was already a chore but talking to people casually and as equals was an exercise in humanity he absolutely loathed. Outwardly, he sighed until his shoulders sagged.

"Come on, Seto," it isn't hard," Mokuba chided, "You can talk about the project, or current events, or travel; anything to get them engaged. Or better yet, ask questions. They'll talk about themselves if you ask nicely."

"I know how to talk to people, Moki. I'm actually kinda good at it, I just don't like to." Kaiba frowned but stood and made his way across the aisle to where Dzam was sitting at a table working on his laptop.

"Already ad work before we're even there?" Seto asked.

Dzam started, jolting upright. "I'm sorry, you startled me," he apologized, "I'm just making sure the coders can start as soon as we get them the information. I'm hoping to have a skeleton of the room done before we even get back to Domino." He turned his laptop around to show the CEO his schedule, highlighting the critical path. "The visuals should be easy and fast to design and if we get those out of the way early, we can focus on the textures."

"It looks good," Kaiba commented, "I'm glad you're at the helm."

"That means a lot coming from you, sir," Dzambul smile, appreciative of the praise.

"I won't waste any more of your time, I'll let you get back to it." Kaiba stood and walked forward to the recliner chairs.

Akira Yamamoto, the lighting specialist, was sleeping, but Honda Tohsaka had his phone connected to the plane's wifi and was watching a news clip with one bud phone in.

"Anything interesting?" Kaiba asked over his shoulder. Honda swiveled ins head upward, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "Two more death row inmates were found dead in their cells this morning."

"Again?" Seto watched a few moments of the feed, reading the headline captions. "This puts the body count up to what? Twenty?"

"These two are officially nineteen and twenty, but France, the US and China are starting to also claim that they have a high count of death row suicides or heart attacks that they are thinking might be linked. This reporter is saying the Prime Minister is considering asking the FBI for help."

"That's crazy," the CEO muttered, "No leads, no connections," the footage showed the kanji figures drawn with the fingers of the deceased, "and now the weird drawings."

"And the moral dilemma," Honda mused.

"Beg pardon?"

"It raises the question if killing someone already marked for death is murder or just expedited civil service. Plus, there's the plummeting crime rate. Does the end justify the means of vigilante justice?"

"That's a delicate topic," Kaiba agreed, "To condone the actions of a vigilante would be to disregard the rule of law entirely, and what is mankind without civil law?"

"I think the better question would be: is any civil law worth supporting when vigilante justice produces better results?"

Seto was unsure if the question was loaded or not, "Personally, I'd prefer a flawed system over anarchy." He stood upright correcting his posture.

"I'm honestly not sure where I stand," Honda admitted, pulling his phone down and swiping to a different news app. "Though I think you're right: if it were every man for himself, it will only thin the population."

"You're quite the philosopher," Seto noted, "Perhaps we can exchange economic theories some time,"

"I'd like that," the texture specialist nodded seriously, "I'm interested to see how the 1% sees the world of economics."

"Perhaps over drinks then?" his boss offered as he retreated back to his seat beside Yugi. Honda nodded a farewell before putting his other bud phone in.

"He sure bent your ear," Yugi commented as Kaiba ordered an ice water from the single flight attendant on board.

"I'm sure his politically charged rants are doled out indiscriminately," Kaiba breathed.

"Why are you back?" Mokuba demanded from behind his laptop. You didn't even talk to her."

Kaiba shot his brother a glance that was met with an equally menacing glare. Yugi looked from one brother to the other as they silently clashed in one of their infamous public quarrels. They fought like normal siblings in the comfort of their own mansion or in the private elevator at headquarters: yelling, aggressive posture, forceful gestures, and throwing objects, but in public their method of settling disagreements never escalated beyond a glorified staring contest. Their eyes would lock and communication was conveyed through the slightest facial expressions, mostly twitches at the corner of the mouth and eyebrows. Seto proved the fiercer this time as his younger brother backed down, hiding behind the laptop screen. The elder sat back in his chair to enjoy the quiet atmosphere and his drink for just a few moments.

"Now, for the ladies," he said standing to continue his rounds.

"You got this," Yugi beamed with mock enthusiasm, "you just have to believe in yourself." He was being facetiously peppy, giving his old rival an ostentatious nudge and his trademark thumbs up.

Seto let out an audible laugh. "I honestly thought you were going to say you just have to believe in the heart of the cards for a second there."

Yugi only laughed in reply as he went his way. The three ladies were chattering in hushed tones but were deep in conversation. Karin and Sabrina were looking at a spiral bound sketch book while Setsuna perused her phone for Egyptian artwork, showing the screen to the two sitting across from her when she found something she liked.

"I'm not interrupting girl talk, am I?" Kaiba asked to announce his presence. The trio shook their heads. "I just wanted to check in with everyone before we land. Everything going well so far?"

Setsuna scooted over to the window seat to allow her superior to sit on the aisle. "We're trying to get Karin's creativity flowing." As the head of the storyboard, it was Karin Kurosaki's responsibility to come up with the objectives, tone, and general flow of the constructed environment as well as the major scripted sections. Setsuna Noriega, as the environment coordinator had to ensure that the story and the hologram elements meshed seamlessly, hence she would be active in both elements but only directly over Sabrina's expertise.

"I have so many different directions I want to go," Karin admitted. "Most of the storylines I want to do however are a single player focus. I need to get ideas for a group adventure. Which leads me to a question. If people come in to this holodeck with their street clothes on, won't that shatter the illusion of the entire room?"

"Perhaps," Kaiba thought it over, "Unless they were from the future thrust into the past."

Karin's eyes went wide, "Sent to the past to save the future. I could make it a team effort on the players to assist an NPC, maybe a priest, or the pharaoh, or a general. It would also give a chance for the tutorial to be more like an orientation to the time period rather than just a boring introduction." She ripped her laptop case from under her seat, hastily removing it and signing in almost in a panicked manner as if she'd forget what was in her head before she could get it all out. "A general, fighting against the forces of evil, prays to the gods for aid against the enemy who summons creatures from the realms beyond. As he prays in earnest to the pantheon, he would never have guessed that help would come not from above, nor below, but from a different time." She muttered the words one at a time as she typed them out. "Thank you," she said when she finished, "I have a seed of an idea that I'm going to expand as inspiration hits me."

"So much for all our concept art," Sabrina replied, pulling her sketch book back into her lap.

"Hey, speaking of art," Karin said, her fingers whirring at the keyboard as she spoke, "Show Mr. Kaiba the ones you did earlier."

Sabrina clutched the book shut defensively, "How about: no?" she insisted.

"Come, on, they're good," Karin entreated, reaching slowly for the book.

"It's just basic. It isn't even anything special," Sabrina protested.

"What it is a drawing of?" Kaiba asked.

"Us," Setsuna answered for her.

"Come on, there's no point in putting it on paper if you don't want anyone to see it," Karin put her hands on her hips.

"Fine," Sabrina huffed, whipping the book open and pushing it into Seto's hands. It was clear she didn't want to but quit protesting so as not to draw undue attention.

Seto turned the pages, looking at the bare boned pen and ink sketches she'd done from earlier in the day. One was of Yugi and Mokuba laughing, Yugi's outrageous hair was accurately captured in hyperbolic spikes, Dzam pouring over his laptop complete with a sparkle on his bald head as he sipped a coffee. Akira sleeping with his mouth open and a book open on his chest. Then there was the one of Honda and himself looking at the newsfeed on Honda's phone, both with pensive looks on their faces. Even with the minimal lines, the resemblance was captured effective.

"I had no idea you were an artist," he said quietly.

"My love for art turned into my major which in turn made me love it all the more." She explained. "I usually do graphite sketches and charcoals."

"Question," Karin interrupted, "How do the players get to the past?"

"Mystical artifact that they bought as souvenirs or were gifts from a mutual friend," Kaiba replied, not taking his eyes of the sketchbook.

Karin pursed her lips as she looked at her screen trying to make ideas work. "Too hackneyed?" she asked. Setsuna and Sabrina looked at each other first then to Kaiba, unsure if she had asked him, them, or the screen. "Maybe not," she muttered, letting her hands glide across the keys. "It can be gifts that were unwittingly stolen from an archaeological dig, each one with a special power they can use in the room. It might be a good idea for a prop to help with the immersion. The artifacts activate and pull them into the past and when their destiny is fulfilled, they go back to their own time." She squinted, trying to create a coherent, yet unique story for the environment to follow. "Or…the artifacts can put them into the bodies of people already existing in the past. Like Quantum Leap: player's consciousness in NPC bodies. That will let me build backstories for different characters that the players can choose to be, or better, just let them know the possibilities and not let them choose, just throw them in."

Sabrina raised an eyebrow. "How do you know what Quantum Leap is?"

Karin was pinned. "I am a closet sci-fi nerd," she admitted.

The pilot came on over the intercom asking the passengers to buckle themselves in for their descent into Alexandria, effectively ending the conversation. Seto returned to his original seat and the plane landed at a tiny private airport on the east side of the city. Ishizu Ishtar boarded as the crew and passengers were stretching their legs.

They hadn't seen Ishizu in almost ten years, but to Yugi, Seto and Mokuba, she hadn't aged a day. Her eyes, still clear and sharp darted immediately to Sabrina the instant she walked on the plane. She was visibly shaken.

"By the gods." The words came out of her mouth in breathy disbelief.

"Ishizu, allow me to introduce you to the rest of the project heads," Seto headed her off before she said anything else, " The one at the computer is Dzambul Yadamsuren, our project lead. This is Akira Yamamoto, lighting; Honda Tohsaka, textures; and of course you know Yugi Muoto and my brother Mokuba. And these lovely ladies are: Setsuna Noriega, the environment coordinator, Karin Kurosaki, the storyboard developer and Sabrina Harrison, the head of art design." He made a subtle point of emphasizing Sabrina's name and her role, hoping she'd understand the situation. She still stared but nodded as each person greeted her when introduced. "Also, there's one asleep in the back; Leo Caspari, the sound manager, who is currently creating the sound effect of a plane engine, or a generator or something."

"So that's what that was," Akira laughed.

The captain stepped back into the cabin. "If you'd all take your seats, we can take off again. I know you want to get there as soon as possible."

They all resumed their original seats, Ishizu sitting next to Setsuna where Kaiba had been only half an hour before.

"Only three hours left," Yugi said optimistically.

"Yeah, but we still have to go through customs," Mokuba noted. "We'll get to relax after we get to the hotel though."

Leo suddenly emerged from the sleeping quarters, turning sideways to fit through the tiny doorway. His eyes were only half open and his hair stood up in bedhead spikes that could have rivaled Yugi's.

"Are we there yet?" his voice still had the scratchy undertones of someone just awakened.

"No. Three hours left," Mokuba replied.

"Close enough, he muttered as he slid behind the table Dzambul was sitting at, resting his elbows on the tabletop.

"And that's my sign I can go get some work done in peace. I'll see you in three hours." Seto stood and left, welcoming the isolation and dark. Even though he planned on working, he was asleep in under fifteen minutes.

The captain's instructions to prepare for landing jolted him awake, though he'd determined to stay in his bunk as long as possible, figuring Mokuba would summon him as soon as they were through customs and ready to head to the hotel. He pulled his laptop out and began working on the coding for the upcoming project, integrating sounds, visuals, and feeling. The plane had been stopped for well over an hour when Mokuba strode in, clearly agitated.

"Customs won't let us into the country." He said flatly, crossing his arms in frustration.


	10. Diet Chapter

A/N: We're all adults here, right? Good. With that in mind, my fanfiction is based under two major assumptions: 1. The virtual world arc at the beginning of Season 2 never happened and 2. Season 4 never happened, either. This means that in this continuity, there is no Noah Kaiba, no Dartz, no Atlantis, no Professor or Rebecca Hawkins, no Leviathan and most importantly, no mass amounts of supernatural things happening all over the planet for all people to see because a mysterious portal between our world and the world where duel monsters come from has been opened. Most people are blissfully ignorant of the world threatening danger. Make sense? Good.

I am aware that it's a bit inconsistent to rule out some non-canonical parts of the show and keep in others, Mokuba in particular was a horrible devil of a person in the manga and here I've retained his 4Kids status as a fun little brother, but those two arcs in particular go contrary both to the original writing and the flow of the anime and as such I'd like to keep some kind of consistent tone.

While the eight other passengers were holed up in the Lear Jet, Kaiba, Mokuba and Ishizu sat in the customs office in the airport.

"We submitted our paperwork for our research weeks ago, and were given clearance," Mokuba said, "How is it now we are denied access to the country."

The customs officer sat a desk with a man standing behind him that could have been a subordinate or superior.

"Our sincerest apologies," the officer said with insulting courtesy, "but you've simply come at the wrong time. We have several archaeological parties researching the ruins at Thebes and we are…how you say…overbooked."

Ishizu exchanged a few sentences in Arabic before turning to Mokuba. "This isn't right, someone's paid them off."

Mokuba already had exchanged several thousand yen into Egyptian currency. He pulled three 200₤ notes and gave them to Ishizu. "Find out who."

Ishizu's sighed. "Give me about ten more of those and they might."

Mokuba pursed his lips, grudgingly handing over the stack. Ishizu went to work immediately, bartering with the two officers to ascertain the identity of their saboteur. After fifteen minutes of exchanges, she turned back to Mokuba.

"They say it's an entertainment company called 'Coliseum' and a representative offered the kind gentlemen here a hefty sum to refuse us entrance once we landed. He's denying our visas."

"There must be some misunderstanding," Mokuba's voice changed, taking on tones of submission and deference, "We're here as tourists, nothing more. See? It's right here on our visas that we are single entrance tourists set to stay for up to thirty days." He nodded to the Egyptian woman to translate. His statement was true, because he had no other category that accurately described their reason for being in the country; Egypt had no business visa that included research purposes and didn't include conducting business with Egyptian companies.

The men in uniform exchanged glances before laughing.

"Tourists you say?" the one at the desk addressed Mokuba in English. "In a company jet with employees and all kinds of electronic equipment?"

"We're all friends from work taking a well-earned vacation." He removed a stack of ₤500 notes and placed them on the desk. Both men glanced at it.

"In Luxor?"

"Four of us have been to the old city before and wanted to show the others the sights." He laid five more bills on the stack.

"And the jet?" the officer who was standing asked, clearly hoping each question would bring more bills to bribe them with.

"My fault," Kaiba spoke up, "I know it's company property, but being the boss comes with its perks."

When Mokuba didn't add any more to the existing stack, the officer tried again, "And all of these computers, and monitors?"

"Well, you surely have heard of my brother's work ethic. He wanted to do some work while the rest of us were relaxing." Mokuba added just a few more bills to the pile, pressing the sides to straighten the stack. "So in truth, you wouldn't be allowing a KaibaCorp research team into the country, just a group of friends here to see the sights. We get to see the ruins, you get plausible deniability and Coliseum is none the wiser. We all win."

Both men were almost at the point of drooling over the stack of cash, but neither wanted to be the first to crack under the pressure. The seated man gave in first, snatching the bills and counting them out to split before placing his half in the inside pocket of his suit.

"Welcome to Luxor, I hope you and your very close friends have a wonderful vacation."

"Thank you for your understanding," Mokuba stood and extended a hand to shake. "We'll be sure to have a very relaxing time."

The five-star accommodations were the peak of human comfort. Even weeks before the trip, Mokuba could only find three rooms that were adjacent and decided they could just book them and settle for living middle class. The girls shared one room; Mokuba, Yugi and Kaiba were in the middle and the far room was occupied by Dzam, Akira, Honda and Leo. Each room had a sitting area, a kitchenette and a computer desk.

Setup took a little over two hours as Mokuba, Akira and Leo did the bulk of the hardware assembly, commandeering the computer desks, coffee tables, night stands and every available electrical outlet to get the three work stations up and running. All computers, laptops, smartphones and tablets were routed through a private network that Akira had set up for security purposes. In the meantime, the girls went on a search for food, bringing takeout back for them to eat in Kaiba's room as he briefed them on their new mysterious rival company.

"So, Coliseum has decided to make an enemy of KaibaCorp." He began, "Paying off customs to deny us entry into the city, but their motives remain unknown. Their website merely states that they offer a variety of 'adult adventures' and that they are based out of Rome but have several locations, mostly in Europe and the U.S."

"And by 'adult adventures' you mean…" Akira asked, hoping Kaiba would answer the question before he asked it.

"Based on some of the forums I've found online, they offer mostly legal, though highly questionable activities like hands-on haunted houses, consensual kidnapping, fight clubs, and even, yes, venues for certain fetishes." Kaiba furrowed his brow as his lip involuntarily curled downward in disgust.

Karin raised her hand as if it were a class. "I don't want to sound ignorant, but what is consensual kidnapping?"

"It's people that pay money for the adrenaline rush of getting kidnapped. They take you months after you sign up so you forget about it and then they jump you and hold you captive for a few days or until ransomed," Setsuna explained.

"That's messed up," Honda said aloud what everyone was thinking.

"I'm going to do some more digging to see what they're doing here and why they want us out of the picture, and how they even knew we were coming in the first place," Kaiba placed his laptop back down on the bed. "For now, I would suggest we keep our eyes peeled, be especially careful with personal belongings and research equipment, and don't talk to strangers that seem too inquisitive."

"Got it," Karin said with mock enthusiasm, "Don't talk to strangers, don't give out personal information over the internet, stay in school, don't do drugs. It's all good."

"Very well then, I suggest we all get some rest to overcome the jetlag so we can start tomorrow morning with fresh eyes and minds. Miss Ishtar, if you will stay behind so we can discuss any further attempts on our visa status."

The nine travellers grunted or nodded in agreement. Fed and given a chance to sit, fatigue set in and they were all ready to go to sleep immediately, dispersing to their rooms to decide the sleeping arrangements and divvy out the pillows. Once alone, Ishizu caught up with Yugi and the Kaibas.

"How did you find her?" was Ishizu's first question after the introductory pleasantries and hugs, both of which Seto stoically refrained.

"We didn't. She found us," Mokuba explained, "She's Gozaburo Kaiba's biological daughter."

"And she doesn't know?"

Kaiba shook his head. "She hasn't mentioned anything of it, so we are assuming she hasn't."

"What do you plan to do?"

"We don't plan on telling her unless the occasion calls for it," Kaiba replied. "You can't just push that on someone, especially when there's no benefit to her or anyone else."

Ishizu narrowed her eyes at Seto in a hint of confusion. Wouldn't Sabrina regaining her memories benefitted him? It confused her, but he did have a point."

"What we are looking into here is why her soul isn't sealed in some random gigantic stone table," Mokuba noted. "Her soul should be there with the dragon, right?"

Ishizu thought before replying. "I did always think it odd that the Valley of Kings has been picked over for centuries now, but no one has ever found the tables. Not one, not a portion of one. I always assumed that either grave robbers had taken them off or that the Pharaoh Atem insisted they never be found, either by destruction or serious concealment. Perhaps the stones have long been destroyed and the souls have moved into their original owners."

"Does that mean their monsters, their ka's, moved in with them?" Yugi asked.

"I haven't the faintest clue," Ishizu shook her head in disappointment, "Nothing in the tomb-keepers libraries mentions any of this: ka's being released, souls being reincarnated, or any major event after the Pharaoh's battle with Zorc. But all of this has to be pointed at something. The woman from your past, resistance to our presence here, and the timing of all of it. I may not have my necklace anymore, but I can see Fate's hand is at work bringing us back together like this."

"I brought us back together like this," Kaiba countered her, "Kisara surfacing is one thing, but claiming it is connected to my new VR project AND the issues with Coliseum are more than a little unfounded. Not everything is the will of the gods."

Ishizu scoffed but smiled dryly. "You always were the doubter, Seto. You had more faith when you were a priest." Kaiba jerked his head to send her a steely glare and was met with an equally steadfast glare in return. His lips pursed as if he were trying to bite his tongue, and the slightest tilt of Ishizu's head dared him to speak his mind.

"Faith or none, we need to be patient and observe for now," Yugi said to interrupt the flow of the conversation before it turned hostile, "We need to make sure we're doing the right thing before we proceed."

"He's right," Mokuba piped in, attempting to reinforce the change of topic.

"Then we proceed with caution," Kaiba agreed. Mokuba and Yugi nodded in agreement.

Ishizu left quietly to ensure she didn't wake anyone, as the three roommates settled down to sleep. They had travelled for 24 straight hours but she had only flown with them for three hours and was nowhere near tired enough to sleep. She knew the city well and decided to walk the streets a bit to contemplate this new turn of events. She returned just after dusk to find all three rooms were dark except for Dzam's laptop.

"It's weird," Yugi said in the darkness to no one in particular, "I've been on so many world-ending, date with destiny quests, but this is the first time Joey, Tea and Tristan aren't here with me. It feels a little lonely."

"So, we don't count?" Mokuba asked, feeling a little offended.

"No, its just…we were a really tight knit crew once. I miss that."

"Well…" Moki mused, "Maybe it's time you made some new friends."

"Yeah. Maybe you're right."


	11. Energetically Putting the Plan in Action

A/N: Random Fact: As I child, I wasn't allowed to watch Yu-Gi-Oh. I don't think my parents understood that anime was a broad spectrum and just assumed it was all full inappropriate content, so yeah, I didn't even watch the 4Kids dub until I was out of college.

Their first day of research kicked off the entire project in grand fashion. Immediately after an early breakfast; Project Dawn was officially underway.

The environment team: Setsuna, Honda, Akira and Sabrina visited the Karnack Temple Complex to take tedious amounts of photos, sand and rock samples, collecting weather patterns and climate information, even taking note of odors specific to the area.

The story team, comprised of Karin, Ishizu, Yugi and sometimes Leo began pouring over the history of the city via the libraries and various museums, learning about the history, culture and era in which they would be setting their grand adventure. It was a cultural experience for the three foreigners with Ishizu as a superior guide.

The coders stayed in their respective hotel rooms with "Do Not Disturb" signs over the handles. Kaiba hunched in the familiar slouch behind a multi-monitored computer was experimenting with the coding already programmed into the duel disk to make the solid objects display different textures rather than just pressure. Dzam next door was trying to safely expand the hologram tech, experimenting with a duel disk and one of their hologram projectors used in a dueling arena.

Mokuba was assigned the singular task of finding as much as possible on Coliseum, which he elected to do from the comfort of his laptop.

Dzambul had arranged for each dinner time to be eaten together privately to bond, debrief, and collaborate. After room service arrived, the eleven of them ate in Dzam's room.

"Day one I take it was productive?" he asked.

The general vocal, albeit non-verbal consensus was positive.

"Good, what did we learn?" he asked as a way to begin the debrief.

Karin, who was sitting cross legged on the floor raised her hand. "Egypt is hot." She announced.

"That is true. Anything else?"

"Sand and sandstone comprise everything so we need to be careful the environment doesn't turn out drab," Sabrina commented from her seat on one of the beds.

"And how will we prevent that?" Dzam asked to the quorum.

"Good lighting to introduce warm tones and correct costumes that will introduce cool colors." Setsuna replied. "That falls on Akira and you, but I'm confident you'll do fine."

"Anything else?"

"I do have something to add," Setsuna said turning from her underling back to Dzam, "If we do this environment right, we can create an environment for several different stories. This same environment can be fitted to an adventure genre, escape room or horror room for Halloween. What I'm saying is, we lucked into this environment being versatile, perhaps in the future we can select our next settings based on how we can use them."

"Duly noted," Dzam nodded, jotting it down on his tablet. "Anything else about this project in particular?" He waited a few seconds for any more contributions before continuing. "Let's go over the plan for tomorrow then, the younger Mr. Kaiba has some information to share on Coliseum. I have us scheduled to go on a private tour of the valley of kings tomorrow. Try to act like tourists, but remember you're there to gather information, not enjoy the sites, however interesting that may be. If you see or learn something you think would be pertinent to another specialist, don't hesitate to share." He turned to Mokuba, offering him the floor.

"I spent most of today digging up everything I could on the company Coliseum, but for a business interested in making money, they seem difficult to pin down. While they claim to be a corporation, the do not list any shareholders and stocks are not available for purchase. I know Seto is exceptionally disappointed by this since his main form of vengeance is to just buy out companies that cross him."

"Stay on point," Kaiba frowned.

"Right. Balthazar Nimr was the only name I could find associated with the company, and he is the CEO though he has no social media accounts and has little public record. No other employees are mentioned anywhere, I've tried locating their servers to hack into and they're difficult to find even by deep web standards. My guess is they have an excellent techie that regularly scrubs the internet of any mention of Coliseum that gives away too much information. As to their business model, they cater to high end clients hoping to offer an adrenaline rush so each job turns a considerable profit. They've miraculously managed to stay on the right side of the law: the only example I could find of an investigation is one last year: Coliseum was suspected of organizing a cannonball race which they have denied and no formal charges have been filed."

"They're all about thrills," Setsuna mused. "You think this is them setting up a new location or organizing a new service? It seems odd that people embroiled in the young, money spending generation would be eager to set up shop her and muscle us out."

"We pose some threat to them," Mokuba replied, "Which means whatever they are planning is related to ancient Egypt. Perhaps they're planning a high-end scavenger hunt or grave robbing expedition. I'll be honest, I'm a little leery of prying too deeply. If Coliseum believes we're poking around they might tighten security and become even harder to pin down. We might not know their motives, but if we can accumulate over the course of the trip we can come up with a good defense." It wasn't a great deal to go on but knowing just a little put the minds of the team at ease.

"If no one has anything to further ask or add, the debriefing is dismissed. You are free to go," gestured to the door.

The group split; Mokuba leading the few of them that wanted to check out the pool while the others just went back to their rooms to rest and check in with loved ones. Sabrina talked Karin into shopping in the market for souvenirs and the pair of them talked Leo into being their bodyguard for the evening. Soon, only Seto, Yugi, and Ishizu remained in the middle room.

"I did find something interesting I thought you two would like to see when we were touring the various museums today," Ishizu said it her usual, modulated tone. She removed her smartphone from her purse, showing the two men pictures of the layout of the Valley of Kings. The buildings and rooms were outlined in white like a blueprint and labeled according to their function. "This might be nothing, but there's a chamber here in the ruins of the unnamed Pharaoh that none of the historians can account for." She pointed to a perfect square room that had no labeling, and no second story, meaning the room went to the second floor. "Archaeologists are arguing over whether this was some kind of religious chamber or a small banquet hall."

"There's nothing to indicate what was inside?"

"Not from what _they've_ discovered. It's been looted. I happen to have other sources. The tomb keepers have extensive records on the shadow games, and this chamber correlates with records of a private sealing room, where the pharaoh's priests would separate the ka's from people out of the public eye."

"Interesting," Kaiba mused, but wondered where Ishizu was going with it.

" What makes it even more interesting is that it was uncovered on Maximillian Pegasus' first dig. If anyone knows what was in that room, or what it was for, he would."

"I've already tried that avenue," Kaiba shook his head, "Most of his research is hidden away from the public."

"Ishizu pursed her lips. "Have you called and asked him?" Her smooth, demure voice contained a hint of frustration.

"Um…no." Kaiba retorted.

"That might be an important clue, Kaiba," the curator pointed again to the location of the room. "If Kisara's soul became unsealed, there might be answers in that chamber as to how."

"That would require Maximillian Pegasus and I talking and I'm not inclined to do that," Seto folded his arms, signifying the conversation was over.

Ishizu looked to Yugi for support, but the former duelist shook his head, signifying he wasn't going to cross his friend on the issue. He was curious about her findings, but he also understood why Seto had no desire to have any dealings with the flamboyant American. "So stubborn," she muttered as she left through the front door.

"Mind if I watch TV?" Yugi asked, reaching for the remote.

"Do whatever you'd like, I'm going to work on the coding some more," Kaiba said, sitting back in the computer chair and putting on a pair of sound cancelling headphones so he could focus. He stayed that way until Mokuba returned, bringing the distinctive pool smell with him. With everyone returned, they changed and went to bed, though they could hear the girls giggling and talking for almost an hour afterward.

At least they were enjoying themselves.

The Valley of Kings tour proved to be the most influential on the environment team. Their guided tour was early in the day, giving them the advantage of beating the heat of the day, but the disadvantage of being on the most crowded bus rides and tours. The team blended in with the tourists taking tons of pictures and noting valuable information. Honda had the most difficult time as they were repeatedly told not to touch anything behind the roped off areas and his entire purpose for existing was to record how things felt.

The tour began at the most recent buildings and worked their way back to the oldest buildings that predated the recorded dynasties. Though the meat of what they wanted to see was at the end of the tour, it was still an interesting sightseeing expedition.

The ceremonial dueling room, which was something of a cross between a religious chamber and a public meeting hall, was a proverbial candy store for Karin, each hieroglyph and column providing her with fodder for her story.

"I understand why Maximillian Pegasus based a game off of this concept of dueling with monsters," she beamed as she studied the images etched into the walls. "High stakes, fantastic creatures, and a real element of danger if you lost. It's fascinating. Look: this one looks like the Exodia card." Her enthusiasm was impossible to contain as she bounded from one plaque to the next, absorbing the shadow games into her imagination. The tour guide was about to chastise her and ask her to quiet down, but a tourist reaching across the rope to stroke the stone panels caught her eye.

"Miss, if you could please refrain from touching," she began, "Those are thousands of years old."

Sabrina withdrew her hand, shocked at her own lack of self-control. "I am so sorry," she apologized still a little dazed, "I don't know what came over me." She looked at her hand and back at the wall, squinting in confusion. Karin popped over her.

"You ok?" she asked Sabrina, then before waiting for a reply she turned to the tour guide, "Why are these panels gone?"

"Those were removed and are part of the Domino City Museum of Science and History's permanent collection." The tour guide replied. "The were on a travelling exhibit, but something about the exhibit stuck with Japan so they paid to keep it."

"So, we can see them when we go back to HQ! That's awesome! What are the odds, Sabrina?" Karin turned to Sabrina to share the excitement but her friend was still squinting at the wall. "For realsies, Sabrina, are you ok?"

"I….just got this sudden headache," Sabrina said. "It's probably just the heat, but I need some water."

The entire exchange caught Seto's attention. He elbowed Yugi, subtly nodding in their direction. They observed for a moment, understanding something was happening but unsure what or how it would impact Kisara's new incarnation. "Here," Kaiba whispered, handing his friend a water bottle and nodding in Sabrina's direction. Yugi took it wordlessly, worming past Akira to where the ladies were standing.

"It has germs on it, but at least it's still cold," he said, extending the bottle to Kisara who made no reply, but began sipping immediately.

"Thank you," Karin said in her friend's stead as the tour guide began moving on.

Where Sabrina was at the front with Karin before, she now lagged behind the rest of the KC away team. A tiny glance from Ishizu to Kaiba indicated she'd also was privy and that she would keep an eye on Sabrina for the rest of the tour.

It seemed ironic that the last room on the tour was a tomb. To the majority of the tour group, the pharaoh was a nameless, faceless king who impacted a handful of people eons ago. To three of them, he was a soul who fulfilled his destiny of saving the world while trying to simply find himself. To Yugi, however, he was Yami. The other members of the tour group chatted and dove back to the air conditioning of the travel bus, but Yugi remained in revered, looking over the engraved tombstone that he had faced ten years before. Ishizu put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"I know you miss him." She consoled.

"I can't even explain how much," he replied.

"At least he's at peace now," she said.

"That makes one of us," he sighed.

Ishizu was taken aback. She'd never heard the blonde be pessimistic before. She offered a quiet apology before disappearing behind him.

Mokuba approached him, pushing a number of bills into his hand. "Stay as long as you need to. Just catch up with us at dinner, ok?"

Yugi seemed moved by the gesture. "That's very kind, thank you. I think, I'll stay and talk to him for a little while, if that's ok."

"Take a cab back or the bus. Seriously, whenever." Mokuba assured him.

Back on the bus, Sabrina was holding her head in her hands while Setsuna fished through her purse looking for aspirin or something to relieve the pain. Kaiba watched from a distance, refusing to show his concern on his face. Dzam counted the members of the party after Mokuba got on.

"Have you seen Yugi?" he asked the younger Kaiba.

"Yeah, we can head back without him," Mokuba made excuse, "He's going to visit with an old friend in town."


	12. Chapter 13

Dinner and debrief was short on Day 2 of Project Dawn, but everyone had experienced the same thing and had nothing to share. Dzam went over the plan for the weekend while most stores, museums and ancient sites were closed. Egypt's weekend ran Friday and Saturday and would be spend in the hotel rooms working on specific assignments. As they would most likely finish quickly, during the evenings, the crew would be permitted to enjoy the town on their own time for shopping, clubbing, or anything else that was open during the evening hours.

Setsuna, Ishizu, Karin and Sabrina would be working on character designs in their room.

Seto, Yugi, Akira, and Honda would be working in the middle room to experiment with some programs from the home team that would, in theory, alter the texture of the holograms to be more opaque and firm enough to touch.

Dzam, Mokuba and Leo would be working in the middle room to sync basic background sounds with the hologram environment.

With everything arranged, Dzam dismissed the teams, who almost universally went to bed. The heat from the day and hours of walking had taken their toll. Yugi returned just as the brothers were finished changing and ready for bed.

"Good visit?" Mokuba asked.

"Yeah…it helped," Yugi admitted.

The brothers decided not to pry, instead relaying the plan Dzambul had set out for the weekend while Yugi got ready for bed. Sleep came hard and easy for all eleven of them.

The weekend passed by uneventfully. Sabrina recovered from her migraine and was able to work most Friday, declining to try out the nightclubs with Setsuna and Mokuba who were the head of the self-named "party animals". The coding for opacity was flawed: the objects were solid but too bright and too hot to touch, an error Dzam and Seto would have to find and fix. Karin's plot of adventure and discovery took off, giving Setsuna and Leo good direction for character interactions. Work was done, but no major breakthrough or accomplishment were worth noting. They were ready however, to get out of the hotel rooms and back into the field as soon as Sunday morning hit.

Seto jolted in his sleep hard enough to wake himself up. Lifting himself from the pillows, he took a moment to let his eyes focus on the alarm clock, reading it as just after 3:00 a.m. He sighed, knowing he wouldn't fall back asleep with Leo snoring next door.

"Dreams?" he heard Yugi call out from the fold-out couch.

"Yeah. You too?" Seto grunted, still not fully awake.

"Yup," Yugi replied.

Mokuba remained motionless, clearly unphased by his awakened roommates. Yugi slipped across the room while Seto stretched, turning on the floor lamp and making himself comfortable in the computer chair. Yugi sat at the foot of his bed.

"Reliving memories or just your brain running on auto pilot?" Yugi asked, speaking quietly for Mokuba's sake.

"It felt very real," Kaiba admitted, "But it wasn't anything I'd seen before, not from Ishizu or from the Pharaoh's memories."

"About Kisara?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Seto replied flatly.

"Ok," Yugi sighed, secretly thinking Ishizu was right: he was stubborn. "Can I at least talk about mine?"

In truth, Kaiba wanted to be left alone, but he felt a twinge of obligation as a friend to listen. "Yeah, feel free." he replied leaning back in the chair, listening, but not intently to his comrade explain the disjointed chain of events that he had dreamed. Atem had sent Mahad to the present to watch over Yugi and something about making him promise to keep the Millennium Items concealed, and Tea and Joey might have been in there somewhere. Yugi finished eventually, both relieved and exhausted.

"Thanks for listening. Sometimes it helps just to have someone to talk to," Yugi sighed with satisfaction. He leaned back on Seto's bed and put his hands behind his head. Perhaps he intended to talk further, but he soon drifted off to sleep. Seto saw no need to insist he move back to the couch, he was too awake and too agitated to go back to sleep. He put on his headphones, attempting to find the coding error he had been working on for the past two days.

His fingers twitched, typing incoherent letters in a string only to backspace it out of existence seconds later. He wasn't focused on the screen, instead letting his mind wander to what Ishizu had told him two days prior. Pegasus had research data he hadn't release to the public, and all he had to do was pick up the phone and ask; the worst that could happen is he would say no and they would be no worse off than they were before, but his pride refused to let him. He had no desire to ask help from the man that had attempted to take his company from him, kidnapped his brother, and literally sucked the souls out of anyone who got in his way.

There was another option. He pulled up the hacking tool he'd programmed himself two years ago and set it to breaching the firewalls of the Industrial Illusions mainframe. In his teenage years, he was a hacking master and had even hacked into the Duelist Kingdom server while the tournament was in progress. In recent years, firewalls and other security measures had advanced and he had trouble keeping his skills sharp while still focusing on everything going on at his corporation.

As the progress bar grew across the screen, Kaiba had a brief moment where he thought there might be bad repercussions. No sooner had he pushed the apprehension from his mind than the coding on his screen froze and the progress bar began receding. Sound blared out of the speakers despite the headphones still being plugged in.

He'd been back-hacked.

Seto Kaiba had made a mistake.

The alarm bells from the computer intensified, waking Mokuba and Yugi up as Seto tried to stave off the security breach. He showed no signs of panic but worked with a sense of urgency. After a few moments, his fingers and resolve failed. Reaching under the desk, he unplugged the computer, cutting the power altogether. He climbed out of his seat and rushed to the adjacent room, turning on the lights as he went. Inside Dzam's room, he saw that Dzam and Akira were already awake and at their computers, but Honda and Leo were awakened by the sudden light and noise.

"Pull the plug. On everything. We've been hacked."

Akira knew the gravity of the statement. He'd routed everything to a single plug and pulled it out of the wall. The network went down. He then pulled the computer's power cords from the UPS, watching their hard-earned progress go out with a flash of the monitor.

"Get in the girl's room and get their computer off now. Everything connected to that network goes off. Cellphones, laptops, smartwatches, I don't care it powers down." Seto ordered at no one in particular. Akira was the hardware expert out of their crew and went to pound on the girls' door. The computer's outburst had woken all four of them up, giving them a chance to get decent before Akira came in and pulled the appropriate plugs.

There was a very awkward meeting following in Seto's room. The rooms had been harmoniously humming and glowing with all the electronics, but now, in the early morning hours with everything save two lamps on, the rooms seemed creepy and dark.

"We experienced a cyber-attack earlier this morning while working on Project Dawn," he said quietly, not going into any kind of detail. "I am not sure how much we gave them access to, but for now, everything stays off the network, and all cell phones stay off. Nothing that can give access to our computers until we can determine that the threat is gone and can be prevented in the future. Is that clear?"

Everyone nodded, still bleary eyed, some not fully awake. Dzam and Akira went back to working, the girls filed back into their room, and Honda and Leo tried to catch a few more hours of sleep.

Mokuba was not pleased. "Did you try hacking into Industrial Illusions?"

Seto sank into the office chair. "Not now, Moki."

"Ishizu told you about that room and you wanted to know what was inside, so you tried hacking in. You had to know he'd have a keystroke logger; some way to trace it back to us."

"I said: not now," Kaiba escalated his voice to a growl.

At that moment, the room phone rang.

"Dzam said we could sleep in," Mokuba groaned reaching across and picking up the receiver, "We're up, we're up," he promised.

There was a short pause. "Could this be, little Mokuba?" The boy's blood ran cold and his arms immediately were covered in goosebumps. Yugi and Seto locked eyes, recognizing the voice immediately.

"Mokuba, hang up the phone," Seto said calmly but firmly.

"Is Kaiba-boy there? I need to speak with…" the receiver crashed back onto the cradle. Mokuba stared at the phone, both afraid it would ring again but almost daring it to at the same time.

A few seconds later, the phone rang again. This time, Seto answered it from the computer desk. "What do you want from me?" he snarled.

"You were digging around in my servers," Pegasus responded with his traditional flamboyant cadence, "I think the question is, what do _you_ want from _me_? And don't pretend you were just fishing. This is the second time this week someone's attempted to retrieve information from my archaeological dig back in the 80's."

"Second?" Seto seemed skeptical, but curious.

"Yes, unfortunately, they were smart enough to quit before my cyber security division could trace it back. You on the other hand were just too greedy. You know, you could have just asked nicely. I might have given it to you."

"Ok, so you've caught me. Now what?"

"Now?" Pegasus almost giggled. "Now you have a choice. I can either turn you over to the FBI for corporate espionage, which I am sure they would love to investigate after both the GGO murders and the prison murders originating from your home country…."

"Or?"

"Or you can visit me in person and have unlimited access to the whole of my research: photos, artifacts, archives. We can make an evening out of it: dinner, maybe a walk through Central Park, get coffee and I can give you a tour of my private artifact collection."

"Now?" Seto asked, a little perplexed.

"No time like the present, my dear Kaiba," the American responded.

"I'm in the middle of a research trip," Seto tried to explain.

"I'm aware. Luxor, staying at the Pyramisa Isis, rooms 803-805. Eleven occupants," Pegasus listed off as if he were reading it straight from a page or computer screen.

"I can't just drop everything and fly to New York!"

"Why not? Your private jet is still at the airport, and it looks like you're booked at the hotel for another nine days. You can fly over and be back with still a week left to do all the finding and excavating you'd like. Of course, I could always spend my evening with the American authorities, if your research is so important you can't pull yourself away."

Seto inhaled, flaring his nostrils in frustration. He'd been cornered and he knew it. "Fine," he huffed. "I'll take off as soon as I can get the plane and pilot ready to fly. I'll be there by the end of the day." He cringed as he could almost hear his former nemesis smile on the other end of the phone line.

"Excellent," he beamed, "And Kaiba-boy, bring your new girlfriend with you."

Seto crinkled his nose. "I don't have a girlfriend."

"Oh," Pegasus let out another one of his delicate giggles. "My mistake. I mean bring the woman you were seen exiting your private elevator with looking very flustered after a suspiciously long ride."

Kaiba's eyes went wide. He looked to Mokuba and Yugi who were equally shocked.

"How do you know about that?" demanded Seto.

"Word gets around," he said vaguely.

"Fine. I'll notify you when we land in the states."

"Wonderful! It will be so good to see you again. It will be like old times. I can't wait. Buh-bye."

Kaiba was left holding a silent receiver, still a little stunned.

"What just happened?" Yugi asked.

"I just made dinner plans with Maximillian Pegasus, and I hope to all the gods in Egypt it isn't just like old times."

"Why am I going to New York?" Sabrina asked again.

"Maximillian Pegasus has agreed to let us look at his research but refuses to send any pictures via the internet for fear of them being leaked or hacked. So, you'll have to come and take pictures and any sketches."

"What about here?" argued Setsuna. "We have plans to go Kul Elna today, and if she's gone, who's going to take pictures?"

"Just have Akira take extra pictures. He has a good enough camera and there's already tons of information on the internet about the City of Thieves. She won't be missing much."

"Ok, fine, when do we leave?" Sabrina asked, already packing up her photography equipment.

"As soon as you pack," Seto replied, "The pilot says he'll be ready for takeoff in an hour."

Before the sun rose, the Lear Jet was lifting off with Seto, Sabrina, Mokuba, (who was loth to come along, but did so for Seto's benefit) and Yugi, under the guise of talking to the CEO of Industrial Illusions as a SME.

"So, we have fifteen hours to kill," Mokuba mused, looking at Yugi

"…And we didn't get a good nights' sleep thanks to someone in our room kicking off the cyber apocalypse…" Yugi agreed, returning the look.

The boys gave a synchronized nod before simultaneously heading to the sleeping quarters, leaving Seto and Sabrina alone in the cabin. Seto perceived what they were doing as they scurried out, mentally plotting out his vengeance before making polite conversation with the woman he only half knew.

"They're talking," Mokuba whispered, his face pressed against the floor as the peered through the crack underneath the door that led to the main cabin. "Operation Kismet is a go!" He extended his arm for Yugi to help him up.

"What do we do now?" Yugi asked, pulling the younger Kaiba to his feet.

"We give them some privacy and let them have a little bonding time," Mokuba said brushing himself off. "There's a spark there, I saw it when they first met, we just need to feed the flame a little. It looks like our work here is done, let's get some sleep. Heaven knows I'm going to need it before we have to meet up with that fancy, flamboyant, foppish freak."

Yugi laughed at the alliteration and the moniker. He'd harbored no ill will toward the aging man but was also not ignorant of his flaws. He grabbed the bunk across from Mokuba and they slept over the better part of North Africa while a tiny spark was growing into a flame in the cabin.


	13. Screw Jetlag, I have a plot

A/N: I've prided myself of being able to update my story at a reasonable pace. However, updates might slow significantly since I've recently taken up acting in our local theatre's musical production. This might mean no updates until October. I hope to find the time to keep writing, but if not, know that I haven't given up on this story. It has a clear direction and an end and I will reach it eventually.

With the jet fully fueled, there were no stops but somewhere east of the Canary Islands, the boys woke up to rejoin Kaiba in the cabin passing Sabrina on their way in. She seemed relieved.

"I'll get the whole sleeping quarters to myself?" she sighed in contentment, "I hate sleeping in a room with other people. I haven't slept good this whole trip." She walked in between them to exit, looking over her shoulder one last time at Seto who nodded with something on his lips that could almost be interpreted as a smile.

In tandem, the matchmakers slid into the seats across the table from Kaiba, who hand claimed the tabletop as his workspace.

"Did you see that?" Mokuba asked half to his brother, half to Yugi. "I take it your alone time was …productive?"

"Seto sat back and folded his arms, the hint of a smile turning into a scowl. "I don't know where either of you have been for the past ten years, but I am both the head and the face of KaibaCorp, a billion-dollar, worldwide corporation. My net worth is more than the CEO of Sony Entertainment, Phillips, and Oculus Rift and RECT Inc. I started out at sixteen completely changing the direction of the company and managed to not only retain my investors but was able to make new ones and create partnerships. You know how I did all that? I know how to talk to other people to make them trust me. So, you can stop treating me like an idiot savant that's good with computers but can't talk to people like the movies always portray them."

"So…that's a yes?" Mokuba squinted, nervous the question would set his brother off into another monologue. He seemed in a jovial enough mood.

"Yes. We had a good little chat," he replied, uncrossing his arms and tapping the sketch-pad she'd left on the table. Clearly, she trusted him enough to leave it behind. "Unlike her ancient counterpart, Sabrina isn't the least bit shy. She volunteered a great deal of information about herself and her roommates."

Both boys leaned on their elbows to get closer. "Do tell." Mokuba smirked, well aware that the three of them looked like sorority freshmen gossiping around a table at a café.

"For starters," he said flipping the sketchbook open, "Egypt is jogging some of her memories." He directed their attention to her sketches for costume concepts. Even with erase marks and no color, Isis, Set, and Atem's figures came to life on the page in striking likeness. "I asked where she came up with these, and she said they 'just came to her', complete with their own ka's."

"She even has one of herself," Yugi commented, noting the peasant's clothing and dirty appearance she'd drawn over her own image, and white dragon to supplement the character.

"And the villain suggestion?" Kaiba leaned across the table to turn the page for Yugi. "Aknadin." The image of the man who was once Yugi's uncle and Seto's father was unsettling, particularly the images of him after he had descended into the Dark Priest. "Obviously she didn't have names for any of her characters, but memories are still there.

The blonde flipped the page again, "Look it's me!...sort of." He said excitedly pointing to a picture of Atem in full pharaoh regalia, his skin colored in with pencil to indicate his darker complexion. Seto rolled his eyes.

"Yes, her suggestion of the hero that they players have to assist." Seto explained, though his tone took on a less enthusiastic tenor.

"You sound jealous," Mokuba noted.

"Jealous? No. A little worn out on the same plot I lived through in high school, perhaps a little."

"What about her?" Yugi asked to change the subject, "You've gotten to know her in a comfortable environment. What is she like?"

"She talks too much," Kaiba admitted as he picked up a foam coffee cup and sipped, "but in this isolated instance, that's a good thing." He mentally sifted through all the information he'd absorbed in the past few hours, "She's driven, hardworking, as you can tell, artistic. She ran track in high school. Her favorite color is purple. She likes Broadway musicals, and she is a fan of some band called The Sticks. She also has this morbid fear of train crashes. Odd. She has cats. She has no idea how her hair is that white since both of her parents are brunette."

"What did you two talk about?" Yugi finally stopped the endless stream of tidbits, shocked that he had so many random facts in such a short time."

"I asked her what she would miss about home by moving to Japan." It was admittedly, a clever question. "That just got her started and before long I couldn't get her to stop."

"Million dollar question," Mokuba leaned and whispered as if she were afraid he would hear. "Is she single?"

"No. She has a boyfriend." Kaiba put the foam cup down tersely. "Justin Hayes."

"The lawyer?" Mokuba almost snorted.

"Apparently after we settled in her favor she offered to pay him a percentage of her new inheritance but he insisted as a date to be his form of payment. They're trying to make long distance work."

Both Yugi and Mokuba sighed, dismayed at this new information.

"Anything else we should know?" Yugi inquired.

"She told me that Karin thinks Mokuba is hot."

Mokuba smirked to himself. "And she's not wrong."

Their topic of conversation changed a few times before dying down entirely, leaving the cabin quiet. Seto went back to working on the code, Mokuba put on his headphones to listen to a book on tape, leaving Yugi alone to admire the ocean out the window.

Brian Harker walked with a spring in his step toward the fishbowl. As he passed rows upon rows of the stone tablets with their odd etchings, he smiled inwardly, knowing he'd finally make the boss happy. The Limey finally had something to share. It was at the best time too; the kid's brain was probably suffering from irreparable damage with all of the hallucinogens Harker kept him on, and he might not have his mind for much longer. As he approached the office, he saw Maple already inside, sitting on a desktop talking to their boss. Balthazar Nimr looked up, almost pleased to see Harker through the glass and beckoned him to come in with his hand.

"Just the man I wanted to see," Nmir smiled, "Miss Figaroa here has determined that much of the research collected from Maximillian Pegasus' expedition is kept in his private home in New York. You have connections in the Big Apple, do you not?"

"Several, all of which would be interested in this line of work," Brian said, seating himself in one of the office chair surrounding the conference table. "I can make a few calls as soon as I'm done here."

"Oh, so you have something more for me?" he sounded shocked. With a nod, Maple slid off the desk and exited the office, leaving the door open.

"Bakura finally gave us something useful," Harker said, steepling his fingers.

"It's about time." Balthazar Nmir seemed entirely unimpressed. "He knows where the Ring is?"

"The ring was taken from him some ten years ago when all of the Millennium Items were re-seized," Harker explained, "From his endless babblings and hallucinations, he talked about his friends taking the ring from him. He doesn't know where they are, but he does know that they're all in one place and he knows who has access to them."

"We've dug up Kul-Elna," Nmir said, tapping on the arm of his chair impatiently. "We know the items all fit in the stone, but the stone isn't in Luxor."

"No, because the tomb keepers relocated it to an island northwest of Egypt."

Nmir straightened himself in his chair, giving his full attention to Harker now. "The tomb keepers?"

"A family that has passed down the secrets of the Millennium Items for generations. He gave us a name: Marik Ishtar."

"A name is all we need," Nmir nodded. "If he's still in Egypt, I'll have my men track him down. In the meantime, I need you to make arrangements to have some men pay Maximillian Pegasus a visit."

"I'm on it." Harker stood, removing his cell phone from his pocket and scrolling through his nefarious contacts.

Nmir sat back in his chair and smiled. Harker was finally pulling his weight, they had two fronts of attack to explore. Life was good.

Sabrina woke up about an hour before landing and freshened up in the bathroom in time for the final descent onto the tarmac. JFK was an unfamiliar airport to the three men, but Sabrina had navigated it before, directing them to the pick-up area. A typical hulking, body-guard looking man wearing a black suit and tie stood in front of a limousine holding a sign that said "Kaiba Boy". Seto rolled his eyes, sighing in disgust.

"The faster we get in the limo the faster the sign goes away," Mokuba said, pushing his brother forward toward the driver.

Each of the four travelers only had an overnight bag that the driver seized from them and stowed in the trunk while they arranged themselves in the back of the limo, Mokuba and Yugi strategically sitting to make Sabrina and Kaiba next to each other. Bottled water, various sodas and even a bottle of champagne were displayed on ice for the taking and a small plasma screen television under the window that separated the driver from the passengers was on a news station. The driver rolled the tinted divider down a few inches and spoke into the rear-view mirror.

"Mr. Pegasus would like me to escort you to dinner first in order to give you the evening free if you'd like to see the city. I will escort you to his estate and also back to your hotel."

"Thank you," Mokuba said, uncapping a bottled water for himself.

"My pleasure," the driver replied, "With today's traffic, we'll be there in about thirty minutes. Feel free to change the tv channels with the remote in the cup holder." he said before raising the partition, giving the quartet a small measure of privacy.

Using the express way, the limousine headed east, tall gray buildings ambling slowly by.

"I have a confession to make," Sabrina said aloud. The three boys turned their focus from the TV to their co-worker. "I've always wanted to meet Maximillian Pegasus," she confided. "He is basically everything I ever wanted to be growing up. A successful businessman, philanthropist but also a man who does what he loves. He's an artist, a world traveler, and even at his age he's still plays his own game competitively."

"Yeah, a real renaissance man." Mokuba sipped his water to cover up the frown of disgust forming at his lips.

"All of you have met him before, though, right?"

"Yes, but when you're business rivals, you know that the politeness and deference are only a veneer for the public eye," Kaiba replied, not wanting to get into how polarizing of a character Maximillian Pegasus actually was. "While some of our duels were public and with cards, the true competition happened behind closed doors."

"And what about you, Yugi? Pegasus essentially launched you to stardom." She directed the statement at the King of Games dubbed by Mr. Pegasus himself.

"While it's true that I wouldn't have entered the tournament had he not specifically invited me," Yugi began, "My victory gave me nothing more than a title, plus that was ten years ago. I'm passé now."

"Why didn't you go pro?" Sabrina asked him, "Card and e-sports are both popular in Asia, and you were the best at one time. Why not make a career out of it?"

"I actually was offered to join an international Duel Monsters league. South Korea and Japan both offered me reasonable sums but it required a lot of travel and I couldn't leave my grandpa alone for weeks at a time with his health." He looked genuinely sad that he had turned down the opportunity. "So instead I took over the shop. Keeps me close to the game and my grandpa at the same time."

Kaiba shook his head slightly. Typical selfless, hero Yugi.

The conversation turned to other things as the car turned further south, leading to a gated community with large plots of land. Pegasus could have afforded something much bigger, but what the house lacked in size and grounds it more than made up for in style. The miniature mansion was one of the colonial style houses made of stately brick but with stone-work around the windows. Large white columns supported the porch and the balcony on the second floor above. Hedges trimmed to perfect shapes reminiscent of Wonderland lined the drive up to the house where both a swimming pool and tennis court occupied the back yard. He was waiting at the top of the porch steps, flanked by two servants, ready to meet them.

Age had been kind to Mr. Pegasus as his face only showed the slightest of lines to indicate he was no longer a man in his prime, though his hair was no longer the shoulder-length mane due to it thinning; instead, he had it slicked back, the length of his hair barely touching his collar. He had, in recent years, elected to wear a patch to cover his eye, but due to his flamboyant nature, it suited him.

The driver parked and let them out, Kaiba first, followed by Sabrina, Yugi, and Mokuba as their host descended the steps.

"Kaiba-boy!" the American reached his arms out, scooping Kaiba into a hug too quickly for him to escape. "It's been far too long! We need to collaborate again."

"We're collaborating right now, that's good enough," Kaiba replied stiffly, praying it would be over soon. When he released, Pegasus passed over Sabrina, aiming for the next friend in the queue.

"And, Yugi-boy, you've grown!" He extended his arms, but this time was hugged in return. "How's the shop going? I can set you up with some exclusive cards to boost business, if you'd like."

"It's good to see you again," the youth said sincerely, "and I won't say no to anything that can draw in more customers. You're very kind."

Seto squinted his eyes shut in frustration and sheer disbelief. Knowing Yugi, he'd forgiven Pegasus for everything and they were probably pen-pals. How could any human being be that irritatingly sweet.

"And of course, little Mokuba, though not so little any more. Look at you! " Pegasus opened his arms a third time. Mokuba locked eyes with him and took a step back, glaring at him not to make another attempt. Pegasus awkwardly lowered his arms before folding them behind his back and turning to Sabrina.

"And who is this exotic beauty, you've brought with you," he said extending a hand and bowing.

"Sabrina Harrison. She is our graphic and visual designer for an upcoming product launch at KaibaCorp," Kaiba introduced as briefly as he could.

"And a huge fan of yours, sir," Sabrina added, putting her hand in his, "You're living the American dream."

"It is always a pleasure to meet a fan. If you'll please follow me," he led her by the hand, up the stairs with the three boys following behind, "Dinner is already hot and waiting for us."

"Good, I'm hungry," Yugi beamed.

"Let's get this overwith," muttered the younger Kaiba, almost inaudibly

Seto made no comment; he merely pursed his lips, wishing Pegasus would let go of her hand. For some reason, it made him uncomfortable.


	14. Chapter 15

A/N: Just found out today that Pegasus spells his Maximillian "Maxi _million_ " like the number. A little too on the nose, had I known that before, I would have retained his Japanese name: Pegasus Crawford. As things are now, I am not changing it just to maintain continuity in my story, though I will in my master copy if I ever get the time to re-type and republish.

Dinner went as well as it could have under the circumstances. Pegasus and Sabrina discussed art for the majority of the courses, mercifully allowing Seto and Mokuba to remain disengaged. When dessert arrived, Pegasus finally shifted his focus to Kaiba.

"I know that you are pressed for time, but since Miss Harrison is so interested, I was hoping you'd permit us a little first?"

Had it been Mokuba or Yugi's interest, he'd have given a definite 'no', but he again found himself uncharacteristically indulgent. Rather than reply verbally, he simply nodded.

"Then let's get to it shall we?" When he stood, he helped Sabrina out of her seat, leaving the boys to fend for themselves. Sabrina grabbed her camera and led the group down a set of wooden steps into a basement, half of which had been converted to hold his private art collection. Not all of the pieces were his, but one wall was dedicated to his most prized Duel Monsters. Three of them stood on easels under sheest, but the most prominently displayed painting was the Blue Eyes, hanging on a way by itself enhanced by lighting. Kaiba had seen the original a few times before, but he and Sabrina were equally entranced by the image, drawn to it above every other piece in the gallery.

"It's so intimidating," she breathed.

"I've offered to buy the original several times," Kaiba mentioned, hoping the owner would overhear and name a price.

"And I keep turning him down," Pegasus countered with a smile.

"I collected Duel Monsters when I was a kid, though I never learned how to actually play," she said. "I always loved the Blue Eyes White Dragon, but…as you well know, only four were ever printed and three of them belong to you. I can't tell you how many stores I scoured and internet auction sites hoping to find the fourth. Knowing there was still one out there always gave me hope I might find it."

"There is no fourth anymore," Seto admitted. "I found it and destroyed it."

The look she gave him was one of disgust and rage. "Why!?"

Kaiba sighed. "I was sixteen and petty. I tore it up because Yugi's grandfather wouldn't sell it to me."

"Yugi's grandpa?" Sabrina looked at Yugi to confirm the story's truth.

"It marked the beginning of our rivalry," Yugi admitted.

"That's…wow…that's ruthless even for you," she blurted, though unlike before, she didn't seem unapologetic about letting that comment slip.

"It's bygones now," Yugi shrugged. "His friendship means more to me than any card."

"What friendship?" Mokuba interjected.

Neither had a chance to answer, because Pegasus appeared behind them. "I think we should perhaps move on to the main attraction." A door that separated the basement halves led to the other prize collection of Maximillian Pegasus.

The room had been modified to control both climate and humidity in order to preserve the pieces he'd kept for himself. No windows let in any light, to damage the precious pieces he'd so meticulously re-assembled. Small relics and documents were placed on stands covered in glass for further protection. The focal point of the private exhibit, however, was the stone tablet reaching to the ceiling on the eastern wall of the room. The inspiration for the Blue Eyes White Dragon stood immortalized in stone bearing details so fine it seemed impossible to accomplish with human hands. Despite careful handling, a six-thousand-mile journey left some chips and cracks in the tablet. A like the breadth of a hair traversed the entire creature above its eye.

"All of these things were found in one chamber?" Sabrina asked as she snapped pictures, adjusting the focus and flash as she went.

"Everything yes," Pegasus assured her, "My initial dig was funded by the University at Oxford, but I was able to re-assemble this collection for my own private use over the course of some twelve years."

"There's a shadow games tablet here, but there's other religious paraphernalia, and etching tools…and a flute." She crinkled her brow in confusion. "What was this room even used for?"

"It had two purposes," Pegasus explained. "The first use of the room was for sealing. The empty chamber was where the gods were sealed. Exodia and the others were summoned and sealed into stones to be the protectors of the pharaoh during the Shadow Games. After the nameless pharaoh ended said games, the next pharaoh turned the room into a shrine."

"Pharaoh Set," Yugi nodded at Kaiba.

"Records tell us that Pharaoh Set never married and had no children, yet this room contained the sarcophagus of a mummified woman and the tablet containing the White Dragon. I was able to bribe and barter to recover every last grain of sand from that excavation except the body."

"He tried reversing the process on Kisara," Kaiba.

"Kisara who?" Sabrina asked in passing.

"The woman Set fell in love with. The dragon's…keeper? Host?" Yugi looked to see if any of the others could come up with a better word. They shrugged. Host would have to do.

"To no avail," Pegasus sighed as if disappointed, "There are few records of pharaoh's that ancient: the ones the predate the unification of upper and lower Egypt. What little we have of Set states that he was a solid and just ruler, but I think it would have been noted if one of them had managed to raise the dead."

Sabrina lowered her camera a moment to admire the image. "I like the painting better, but this one is…almost mystical. Like it has its own aura."

"We'll give you a few minutes to work uninterrupted. We don't want to be in your way," Pegasus nodded indicated he wanted both guests and staff to leave the room. "A servant will be outside to escort you back downstairs once you are finished."

"I don't plan on taking long."

Pegasus waved his hand dismissively. "Take your time, my darling, there's no rush. The boys and I will be upstairs catching up."

The staircase up returned them to the foyer, off the side of which was a tiny sitting room. Pegasus ordered coffee to be brought before escorting the trio in and inviting them to sit. None of them sat.

"How long have you known?" The intensity in Kaiba's voice was not damped by his low volume. "Who I was. What I was. How long?"

Pegasus casually seated himself in an antique armchair. Nonchalantly, he leaned back feigning being taken aback by such a verbal assault. "That you were also the reincarnation of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh?" he raised his right eyebrow suggestively, "Almost ten years. I pieced it all together. The name, the connection to Yugi here and his darker half, the Blue Eyes fetish."

"It's not a fetish," Kaiba growled.

"You had a jet made. It's a fetish." Pegasus insisted.

"And how did you know about her?" Seto demanded, keeping his tone low but fierce.

The philanthropist sipped his coffee nonchalantly: grave, but hardly taking Kaiba's threatening demeanor seriously. "Something was your trigger. Something made you want to look into your Egyptian counterpart. I just assumed it was age; I couldn't have imagined you'd actually found her. This must be destiny."

"Destiny for what?"

"I don't know," Pegasus set his mug down on a coaster. "Finding out is part of the adventure."

"So, you knew all this time? Why tell me now? Why tell me at all?"

"Because I know what it's like to be consumed with the desire to bring someone I once loved back from the dead, Seto Kaiba," he enunciated every word, dropping his eccentric façade. "Why do you think this room in particular interested me twenty-five years ago?"

Kaiba snorted. "What makes you think I'm trying to bring her back?"

"My dear boy, you went digging in my servers for my research data. Why else would _you_ of all people seek such research out? You don't even believe in your Egyptian roots, remember?" His demeanor now completely serious, he folded his arms. "The game you're playing is a dangerous one, thinking you can re-create life. That if you succeed you'll be truly happy, but you won't. It will eat you alive from the inside out and drive you to do things you never imagined yourself capable of, even with those closest to you."

"My brother is nothing like you!" Mokuba interjected. "He wouldn't…"

"You're right, Mokuba. He's younger, prouder, and far more reckless than I was when this opportunity presented itself. I've been in your shoes, and I know how I felt and how I wouldn't wish what I went through on anybody else, not even you, Kaiba-boy." A tear welled up in his eye, and his voice sounded so sincere. The boys were taken aback by this sudden outburst of earnestness. "I don't know how she is going to play into your life, Kaiba, but with you two reuniting and Coliseum trying to un-earth everything from that era, the stage is being set for another crisis. You can't risk making poor choices and becoming the villain here."

"Wait. You know about Coliseum?" Yugi seemed perplexed.

"They've tried hacking my server a few times, same as you. Except they weren't dumb enough to get caught and allow my experts to trace it back to them." Here, he cast a sideways glace at Kaiba to see if his jab had gotten a rise out of him. "I merely know who they are, not where they are or what their end game is."

Before the conversation could continue further, Sabrina was escorted into the sitting room. Pegasus instinctively stood, reassuming his eccentric persona.

"Finished already?"

"Yes, sir," she said, putting the cap on her camera lens, "They're not super models that require multiple poses. Just a few snaps were all we needed."

"Lovely! Then as soon as you sign the non-disclosure agreement, I regret to say our business is concluded. I'll have the car brought around for you." Upon snapping his fingers, the servant that escorted Sabina in produced a manila envelope and pen seemingly out of nowhere. It was a simple document stating that the pictures were to be used for research purposes only and would not be accessible to anyone outside the project. Furthermore, the pictures would be deleted and any physical copies would be destroyed before the launch of the project and if the pictures made their way to the public KaibaCorp would be held liable. Once the paper was signed the manservant excused himself and departed.

"Good." Kaiba said shortly, "Then we can be going." He turned to Pegasus, demanding with his eyes that they be free to go.

Sabrina looked a little deflated that it was all over so fast. "I had a wonderful time, sir."

"As did I." He leaned forward to plant a small kiss on her cheek. "You're welcome to my home any time, Miss Harrison," He straightened himself and turned to Yugi, "If you'd like, I'd be more than happy to make good on my offer."

"Thank you, sir. As soon as I'm no longer needed for the project, I'll contact you."

A servant entered announcing that the car was waiting for them out front. Mokuba scrambled down the steps, not being able to get out of the house fast enough. Yugi and Sabrina followed, Kaiba taking up the rear as they loaded back into the limousine. Before getting in, Pegasus put a hand on Kaiba's shoulder in an almost father fashion. "Take my advice," he whispered so the others couldn't hear, "Don't be so hellbent on getting someone back you end up driving everyone else around you away."

He didn't reply; he simply shrugged the hand off his shoulder and ambled into the limo, shutting the door before Pegasus could assist him with it.

"What was that about?" Mokbuba asked as they pulled out onto the main road.

"Nothing, Pegasus is just still playing mind games."

Sabrina began playing with her hair which eventually turned into French-braiding it. "So what do we do now that that's over? Just fly back?"

"We can't get clearance to fly until tomorrow morning, but the night is still young," Mokuba said, "We can sleep on the plane tomorrow. Why not go see the sights? Times Square or something?"

Yugi and Sabrina agreed it was a good idea, though Seto declined insisting he had important work to do. Once they reached their hotel, the CEO immediately holed himself up in his room, while the other three gave themselves an hour to settle in and freshen up before going out on the town. Sabrina took the time to shower and change. Thinking she still had fifteen minutes, she turned on the TV to see what was on, but was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"I still got fifteen minutes," she muttered, but the face staring her down when she opened the door wasn't Mokuba or Yugi.

He was an intense looking man about her age with sandy blonde hair and brown eyes, dressed in business casual attire. He blinked as if he was taken aback that she answered the door at all. After a moment, he realized that it was his job to break the awkward silence.

"Are you Sabrina Harrison?" The natural twang in his voice indicated he was a local.

"Yes, sir?"

He brandished a police badge, "I'm Detective Wheeler, NYPD and I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about your business trip here. I understand you're here as a KaibaCorp employee?"

"I am, what's this about?"

"I understand that you were at Maximillian Pegasus' estate this evening, taking pictures of his private art collection."

"Yes, sir," she replied nervously, "Mr. Pegasus himself gave me access. It's for research on a new project KaibaCorp. I signed a waiver and everything. Is there a problem?"

"Not necessarily," the detective replied, "Mr. Pegasus' estate was broken into this evening and we are simply trying to follow up on some leads. What time would you say you left Mr. Pegasus' estate?"

Her demeanor changed. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I'm not going to answer any more questions without a lawyer present."

Detective Wheeler nodded, putting his hands in his pockets. "That's fine. I understand. Would you mind coming down to the precinct with me while we wait for your lawyer to arrive then?"

"No need," she stepped out onto the ugly carpet of the hotel hallway. "He's two doors down." She passed two doors over and knocked on Mokuba's door; the law enforcement officer trailing behind. The lawyer was at the door in a moment of seconds, flanked by his brother and the consultant.

"You're not going to believe this, but Pegasus got robbed tonight," she stated, wasting no time. "This detective wants me to go to the station and answer questions. I assume I'll be needing legal representation."

Each of the three men in the doorway offered a different facial expression entirely: Mokuba looked befuddled, Yugi shocked, and Kaiba disgusted.

"Wheeler," Kaiba seethed.

"No…" the detective's voice matched the disdain of the elder Kaiba's.

"Joey!" Yugi exclaimed.

"Yug?" Detective Wheeler seemed perplexed.

"Joey?" Mokuba asked, looking over his shoulder at Kaiba.

"Nye?" Joey replied.

Yugi pointed a thumb at Mokuba. "Moki."

"Ohh." Detective Wheeler said as if in comprehension.

Sabrina threw up her arms in frustration. "What the crap is happening? What is crappening?"

Yugi pushed past Mokuba, almost tackling Detective Wheeler in the process.

Mokuba sighed. "I think we probably aren't going to be visiting Time's Square this evening."


	15. The Author's Least Favorite Chapter

A/N: We need to have a talk about Pegasus. So firstly, his name is spelled Maximillion instead of the traditional Maximillian and I had no idea. Second, he's only 8 years older than the main cast (Yugi, Tea, Joey, Tristian, Bakura, Seto, and Duke). At the beginning of the series, they're 16 and he's 24. And my tiny little brain is blown. I just thought he was well preserved. That means, if they're all 26 as they are in this story, he'd only be 34. With this new discovery, I plan to rectify his physical description and some of the dialogue in the previous chapters, and it opens up a lot of plot possibilities for me.

Also: I had issues with this chapter. I am so sorry it is so long. I wanted to make a reunion worthwhile, but I feel like I'm honestly wasting everyone's time with my own drivel. I promise the next chapter will be posted in a timely manner and contain much better paced content.

"You don't have to come to the station," Detective Wheeler backtracked on his previous statement. He smiled with an enthusiasm Sabrina could hardly understand "I'd still like to ask you four a few questions."

Mokuba stepped aside to clear the door. "Sure, anything we can do to help."

Joey had to turn sideways to get through the doorway as Seto refused to make room for him, staring down the detective as he brushed past. Once through the Kaiba gauntlet, he was free to pull Yugi into a bear hug. "I can't believe it!" he said as Yugi returned his embrace. "What are you doing here?"

"KaibaCorp hired me on as a Duel Monsters expert for a new project." Yugi laughed with delight. "That's why we were at Pegasus' mansion earlier taking pictures."

"And any information beyond that is proprietary to KaibaCorp." Seto crossed his arms.

"How about you let me do my job and I'll let you get back to yours?" Joey's demeanor darkened as he quipped at his old antagonist.

"I'm sure we can answer any questions he has to ask," Mokuba said, beckoning Sabrina into his room with one hand and herding the men further in with the other.

Everyone sat except Kaiba, who was clearly trying to establish himself as alpha, though Sabrina could hardly guess why and was still confused by the earlier scene in the hallway. "Care to explain what all this is?" she asked Mokuba.

The lawyer replied by pointing at the detective. "That is Joey Wheeler, Brooklyn native, runner up for Duelist Kingdom." He pointed at Yugi. "Yugi is his best friend," he pointed to Seto with the other hand, "Kaiba is his fremesis, and I'm an impartial acquaintance," he ended pointing to himself with his thumb.

"Ah." Sabrina said, squinting deep in though.

Detective Wheeler asked the four of them his list of routine questions, establishing their alibis and a timeline. When he finished, he gave them the basic overview of the crime, notably that the break-in had occurred less than twenty minutes after they left the estate.

"And was anything taken?"

The detective responded by defiantly folding his arms in retrubition. "There was a break-in. Any information beyond that is proprietary to the NYPD."

Kaiba let out a disgruntled snort and turned away.

"If you're done with business questions," Yugi blurted, "How have you and Tea been?"

"Why don't you come home with me and find out?" Joey smiled. "I'm sure she would consider this a welcomed surprise." Both blonds looked at Kaiba as if silently asking for permission and expecting him to deny them.

"I'm not going tell you you can't go. You're not a child," the mogul shrugged, "As long as you're back by the time we leave for the airport, go ahead."

The detective slapped Yugi on the knee and the both of them stood excitedly, already chatting about their evening plans and how they thought Mrs. Wheeler would react, leaving the three remaining occupants of the room in shocked silence as the door clicked shut, leaving them alone.

"So…" Mokuba dragged out the 'o', "You still want to go see Times Square?"

"Umm…sure." Sabrina responded, still trying to process the last half hour. "Let me go grab my purse."

"Guess I'll have some quiet time to work," Seto mused has he headed back toward the adjoining door.

"You know, as proficient as you think you are with businessman, I've saved you from a lot of PR disasters." Mokuba chided.

"Like Wheeler?" his brother scoffed.

"Like an NYPD detective, Seto," Mokuba rolled his eyes in frustration. "It would probably make a better impression on your princess here." He nodded in the direction of Sabrina's room. "Speaking of, are you coming with us?" As if presuming his suggestion would really affect his desire to go.

"No." he replied flatly. "I have work to do." He disappeared into his own room, sitting behind his laptop.

"He pulled out his cell phone and texted Yugi:

 _ **See if Wheeler knows any more about the break-in. Coliseum might be in on this.**_

After replying to a few emails, his phone lit up with a reply.

 _ **You know he can't share details of the case. He could lose his job :(**_

Kaiba's lip curled into a scowl as he responded.

 _ **I thought you believed in destiny. What are the odds that Wheeler would get put on this case?**_

He set the phone down but it lit up again before he could resume working. It was a picture of Mokuba and Sabrina with cart-purchased hotdogs in one hand while the other pointed to the KaibaCorp logo beneath one of the jumbo trons in Time's Square. The caption read: _Mixing business and pleasure. Glad you're not here to ruin the fun_. Seto didn't even dignify his younger brother with a response. A few minutes later, Yugi responded with another text.

 _ **If I press him for more information, I'll have to tell him about Kisara and Coliseum, but you are right. If someone knew how to use those relics Pegasus had we could be in for some serious opposition.**_

Kaiba pursed his lips, internally conflicted. Kisara was none of Joey Wheeler's business, but if the situation was going to turn into another Egypt fiasco, they needed all the information and allies they could get, and having someone involved in law enforcement might be a good connection to have. At least he wouldn't have to deal with Wheeler directly, he had Yugi as a buffer to protect him from the Brooklyn dunce. He thumbed a quick reply.

 _ **Share what you have to; get what you can.**_

"Kaiba bossing you around during your down time?" Joey asked. This was the third time Yugi's phone had chimed in the short car ride between the hotel and the precinct.

"Well, he is my boss," Yugi said, trying to shrug it off.

"Yeah…so KaibaCorp has something new in the works?"

"VR related stuff. He's going to try and make Duel Monsters even more immersive," Yugi tried to remain vague.

"Cool." Was Joey's responsle. He pulled into the parking lot of the precinct. "Wait here," he instructed, "I'm gonna go report in and clock out for the night." He left the keys in the ignition and passed through the glass entry doors.

Yugi waited until he was out of sight to text Kaiba one last time.

 _ **Will try to be discreet w/ Sabina and Project DD.**_

Knowing calling the project DD would irritate him, he smiled and treturned the phone to his pocket in time to see Joey re-emerge from the brick building and take his place behind the steering wheel.

"Let's get outta here!" he remarked as he threw the car in reverse. He guided the car onto the packed streets of the city maneuvering, honking and shouting with the best of traffic. Yugi gripped the armrest as the Brooklyn native slammed on the breaks calling the taxi that had cut him off a myriad of unsavory names and applying the horn liberally.

"I thought New Yorkers only drove like this in the movies," Yugi breathed trying to get his heartbeat back to normal.

"Eh, life imitates art," Detective Wheeler shrugged, jumping lanes without using his blinker. "Now tell me, how'd you land a job with Mr. Moneybags?" he asked to make conversation.

Yugi returned the nonchalant shrug. "Kaiba doesn't duel anymore but since I own the game shp, I know more about the game so he took me on as a SME."

"How's the old game shop anyway?" Joey smiled, reminiscing the good times he had in high school.

"Same as always. I break even and nothing else."

"Well, maybe it's good that you got out of the shop for a bit and got a bit of fresh air."

"Most definitely," Yugi agreed, "We are actually supposed to be on a research trip to Egypt right now. I got to see Ishizu and even got to visit Atem's tomb. It was nice."

"Wow, Egypt to New York, collaborating with KaibaCorp and Industrial Illusions, you are getting to go on quite the adventure. Just like old times," Joey commented.

"Not exactly like old times," Yugi corrected him. "It will never be as adventurous without you, Tea and Tristan."

Joey pulled into the driveway of an old and narrow townhouse. "I do miss high school and all the fun," he admitted, "but I wouldn't trade it for the family life. Let's go see what casserole Tea's got cooking tonight." Once out of the car, Joey led the way up the steep concrete steps to the front door which he unlocked and entered first, removing his shoes in the tiny tiled entryway. Yugi followed suite, continuing in his socks only.

"Babe! I'm hone!" he called down the hallway. "And I brought you a surprise!"

"Is it small enough for you to bring me? I'm kinda doin' somethin'" Tea's voice came out of the kitchen. In the four years since they'd been married, she'd picked up just a twinge of that New Yorker accent.

Joe beckoned Yugi to follow him yet again past an open dining area into the kitchen. Tea was in front of the stove, stirring the contents of a saucepan vigorously, her back ot them. Joey put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her temple. "Everything ok?"

Tea nodded, completely unaware the room had a third occupant. "Yeah, I just can't let this gravy get lumpy." She returned the kiss. "So, what's the surprise?"

Joey jerked a thumb behind. Tea looked over her shoulder, locking eyes with Yugi. He smiled and waved. A smile spread across her face and her eyes lit up with sheer joy.

"Yugi!" she squealed, almost dropping the pan. She shoved the handle at her husband had pushed the whisk into his hand. "Here, stir this," she ordered. She crossed the tiny kitchen and the old friends shared an embrace. She looked almost the same as she did when he saw her last: her hair was longer, tied in a pony tail and she had filled out a little but married life had a way of doing that.

And she was pregnant.

Not prominently so, but the baby bump was visible when she turned sideways.

"How are you even here? In the states?" she giggled.

"Business trip," he laughed with her. "We leave tomorrow, but Joey and I ran into each other by chance."

She directed both the men to sit at the small oak table against the wall, reclaiming the gravy pan from her husband."

"So, when were you going to tell me?" Yugi asked the father-to-be.

"Joey stared in befuddlement. "About what?"

A pair of potholders came sailing at his face. The first hit him square in the nose, the second he caught before it could hit its mark. "The baby, you nimrod!" Yes. Tea had definitely picked up on the local vernacular.

"Oh yeah!" Joey exclaimed in genuine surprise. "We've known for a little while but we wanted to wait until we knew the gender to tell everyone. So you can't tell Tristan and Serenity you knew before them."

"My lips are sealed," Yugi promised. "When do you find out?"

"Two more weeks," Tea said over her shoulder as she poured the gravy into a boat, which she set on the table. The shepherd's pie from the oven was next, followed by green beans. "It's not much, but it's all your getting," she announced as she handed out foam plates. "I also don't feel like doing more dishes than I need." Solo cups were found and set out afterwards, Yugi under orders to 'help himself' to whatever was available in the refrigerator.

The food was somehow better than anything Yugi had eaten at the five-star hotel or any of the local Egyptian food he'd had over the past week. Joey clearly agreed as neither spoke during the meal time, instead enjoying the food.

Just as the trio was clearing the table, Joey's phone rang. His eyebrows furrowed as he saw his boss' phone number appear on the caller ID.

"It's work, I got to take this," he excused himself.

Yugi took it upon himself to help load the dishwasher as Tea was clearly struggling with the bottom drawer.

"Sorry," she apologized, "Sometimes, I am fine doing things and other times the baby just says 'nope'."

"I suppose this has put a damper on your dancing career," Yugi noted, pulling up the door of the dishwasher.

Tea leaned against the counter. "At first it did bother me, because I know my body will never be the same and it's hard to get back into the professional circuit after you're old, but I would much rather be a good mom than be a good dancer. I guess that's part of being an adult."

"Sometimes being an adult sucks," Yugi admitted.

"True, but sometimes being an adult means being wise enough to find happiness in all the little things we took for granted as children."

Joey re-entered the kitchen in a much fouler mood than when he left. His eye seethed in frustration, seemingly directed at his cell phone. Tea and Yugi exchanged glances before Tea finally broke the silence.

"You look upset."

"Yeah, the chief took me off the Pegasus home invasion." he spat. "The case is being turned over to the organized crime unit."

"Organized crime?" Yugi inquired.

"Pegasus, like Maximillion Pegasus? He got robbed?" Tea asked.

"Apparently, it has all the hallmarks of a house knocked over by the Irish mafia." He pressed his lips together in frustration, gripping his phone tighter.

"Hold it," Tea held up her hand to bar him from speaking further. She looked at Yugi, "Is that your business here? Is that how you two ran into each other?"

"Yes and no," Yugi answered.

"This is going to take a bit to explain, why don't we take this out to the living room?" Joey suggested.

The small living room contained a couch and an armchair. Yugi was granted the armchair sitting at a right angle to the couch, occupied by both Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler. Joey and Yugi took turns explaining their day while Tea listened.

"Wow, blast from the past," she commented when they had finished. "But now you're not even on the case anymore? Why would the mafia be after Pegasus though? I figured he'd make enough money he could make any deal legally."

"Right now, we have no reason to believe he was working with them," Joey replied leaning on his elbows as he spoke.

"So he was robbed?" Yugi asked, hoping he would be as free with his information as he was with his wife.

"The detective rubbed his face, "Yug," he exhaled. He was a good detective and it bothered him to be ethically compromised.

"Listen, I didn't want to tell you this earlier because I didn't want you to get dragged into this but we aren't just working on a new VR project." Yugi decided it was time to lay a few cards on the table. "There's an organization, Coliseum, that tried to keep our team out of Egypt and they tried hacking into Pegasus' servers for information on Egypt. Our meeting this afternoon was to exchange secure information he'd uncovered about the shadow games and the millennium items. Both parties wanted a secure exchange so we disguised it as part of Project Dawn's research trip. They know where to look, but we don't even know what they're looking for."

"Coliseum," Joey repeated, "Our organized crime unit has dealt with them before. Six months bac they were allegedly hosting fight clubs in dive bars all over the eastern seaboard. A mob connection isn't much of a surprise. But dabbling in dark magic and shadow games? That can't be good."

"We're going to stop them," Yugi promised. "The power the shadow games unleased cannot be unleased on our world again, not after Atem worked so hard to seal it away."

"How can we help?" Tea asked gravely, taking her husband's hand.

"First, by telling me if anything was taken from Pegasus. Files, artifacts, photographs: if we know what they're after we can stay a step ahead."

Joey sighed, rubbing his face again. After a brief moment, he confessed. "Everything in the glass cases. Four stone tables, a flute, and some burial headdress or headband or something."

"Just the objects?" Yugi wanted to make sure.

"Yeah. It looks like they tried to get to everything, but weren't counting on reinforced glass cases or the level of security of his archive room, so they just took what they could and got out. Everything was smashed up, but they couldn't get past the door into his private room with his archaeological records or behind the glass to get to that big blue eyes carving."

Yugi frowned, displeased. IT seemed so non-sequitur with what Coliseum had been searching for previously.

"To be honest, it was one of the most botched professional jobs I've ever seen," Joey continued. "Perfectly timed when most of the staff would be distracted by the dinner preparations. Five muscular guys in masks and non-descript clothing, got in using a lockpick gun, but once they got inside it was like they had no idea what to expect aside from what they were supposed to steal. They had no idea where the cameras were, that the alarm system would go off; the magnetized door on the archive room. It was rushed, and ill planned."

"I can't believe this," Tea leaned back into the couch. "Ten years of peace and now you and Kaiba are getting sucked back into the same crazy, ancient Egyptian, shadow game, secret plots to overthrow the world as we know it again?"

"Apparently it's all I'm good for." Yugi's shoulder sagged.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tea said, shifting her head back to focusing on Yugi.

"Let's face it. I exist where and when I do, surrounded by the people I was so that the Pharaoh Atem could have a vessel that he could inhabit and save the past from utter destruction. That happened. We won. I helped, I did everything I was destined to do: to help Yami do everything HE was destined to do. And now what? What purpose do I serve now that Atem's story is complete? He got to pass into the afterlife in peace. You and Joey got married and are starting a family, Tristian and Serenity are doing the same. Your existences had somewhere else to move on, but I don't. I'm still taking care of my grandpa selling trading cards exactly how I was eight years ago when I graduated from high school. I ended up with nothing: I lost my best friend, I lost my dueling career, I…" here he finally choked back tears. "I didn't even get the girl." Tears came to his eyes. It pained the Wheelers to see him, the one person who radiated positivity, give into hopelessness. "And now," he said with his voice cracking. "History is about to repeat itself. I'm going to help, Kaiba is going to be a hero and then he'll move on with his company and I'll be alone. Again."

Joey clearly wanted to give some sort of comforting reply. His eyes darted around the room, fearful to look into Yugi's violet eyes and begin tearing up as well. "Yugi…"

"Listen," Tea cut him off. "I loved you as a dear friend, and I never intended to hurt you," she assured him.

He shrugged. "I know, and I don't hold it against you, or Joey. You never pretended there was anything between us without Yami there, even if it would have made me feel better. I am happy for you two, I really am, I just feel really lost."

"Just give it, time. You'll find your purpose. Maybe even through this." She was trying to sound positive, but she also understood the depth of his pain. He wanted friends and to connect socially for so long, having his friends fall away over the years must have been devastating. Yami, of course, being a literal soulmate ripped away.

"You might feel alone now, but that couldn't be further from the truth," Joey seized a box of tissues from an end table and stood to hand them to his friend. "Yug, you were an amazing friend before you solved dat puzzle. You're honest, hardworking, perseverant, fiercely loyal. You're kind and selfless, and also a bit of a strategist. We're still you're friends and that is never going to change."

His tender soul couldn't take it anymore. Yugi finally broke into sobs. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." he apologized. "It's so selfish of me to just unload on you like this." He pulled out a few tissues to wipe his tears.

The thought of sending him back red-eyed to face his boss was repugnant. "Why don't you spend the night here?" Tea offered. "We can eat breakfast together and I can take you to the airport. We can rent a movie, buy some beers, let you decompress."

Yugi considered the offer a few moments before replying. "Thank you, but I really should get back to the hotel. Technically, I am still on KaibaCorp time, and the CEO would be very upset if I wasted a hotel room for nothing.

"Then I'd better get you back now, so you can at last get a few hours of sleep," Joey said, ignoring Tea's silent objections that she'd rather he stay. He was already standing and helped pull his wife to her feet so they could give him a proper goodbye. Yugi hugged her carefully, thanking her for dinner, and congratulating her once more on her baby.

The drive back to the hotel was faster without a stop off at the police station and with the late-night traffic only slightly hectic.

"I'm pretty good friends with some of the fellas in organized crime. I'll aske for updates on this robbery and pass anything useful along." He promised as they drove.

"Thank you." Yugi replied, "Sincerely, for everything. Being alone at the game shop for so long made me lose touch with my friends both at home and abroad. I think when I get back I'll try to reconnect with our old friends: see where Duke and Bakura ended up. I'll make sure to schedule out some video chats with you and Tea too."

"Hey," the light just before the hotel had turned red, giving him a chance to look his friend in the eyes "We will always be here for you. Any time zone you're in. Any need you have. You helped everyone around you find their happy ending, I promise Tea and I will help you find yours."

The light turned green, and the car rolled forward, turning into the hotel parking lot. Joey put the car in park under the awning to let his friend off. Yugi leaned in and gave his best friend a tight hug. I'll miss you."

"It's ok. I'll see you around soon." Joey replied with confidence.

"How's that?" Yugi raised an eyebrow.

"You're invited to the baby shower."

Yugi smiled. "I'll be there."

It was close to midnight. A wave of fatigue hit the former duelist as he keyed himself into his room. Rather than report to Kaiba, who was without a doubt still working at this hour, he opted to just send a succinct text.

 _ **Pegasus robbed by Irish Mafia. Took dragon flute, tomes, and headdress. Coliseum still possibility. Tea is pregnant**_

Kaiba scowled back at his smartphone as he read the text.

Coliseum was still an enigma.

Other crime organizations could be involved, too.

They'd gotten their hands on artifacts Pegasus himself tried to conceal from the public.

And quite possibly the worst of all:

There was going to be another Wheeler.


	16. Breakthroughs and Breakdowns

A/N: I have a really hard time with Tea. Rewatching the series did help improve my opinion of her, but she really isn't an enjoyable or relatable character. Personally, I think Yugi could have done better which is why I didn't write that they got together.

A/N: Also asking for reader feedback here. I usually keep the chapters around 2500 words, regardless of whether or not that scene in the story is completed. Is it better to break it up into chunks so readers do not lose interest or is it better to go longer as I did the last two chapter to finish the complete though but make for less predictable uploads in terms of time and size? Is it bad to have one chapter only 700 words and another 4100? I have no idea so please let me know.

The stewardess of the KaibaCorp Lear jet would have said it was the quietest flight she ever served. Jetlag, long work days and busy nights were taking its toll on the four travelers/ Seto was rarely seen in the cabin while Sabrina sat in the reclining chair with her bud phones in, furiously working in her sketchbook. Unlike their initial flight, she seemed to be making a conscious effort to avoid her co-workers as she refused to sit with them at breakfast or on the flight. Mokuba and Yugi made small talk between naps, but no matchmaking attempts were made.

"Apparently, this lawyer boyfriend is the jealous type," Mokuba explained when eh was sure Sabrina couldn't hear him. "He called when we were out on the town and got really upset when she found ou she went by herself with a male co-worker. It was ridiculous. He of all people knows we are basically estranged siblings, so its weird he'd get so possessive."

"It explains why she's been so quiet this time around." Yugi whispered in response." It must have upset her."

Mokuba glanced up at the slender woman to ensure she wasn't looking their direction. "Regardless, he's got to go. And as her sort-of-but-only-legally brother, I feel it is my duty to protect my sister."

"And by protect you mean set her up with her older sort-of-but-only-legally-and-also-ancient-destined-lover brother?" Yugi raised an eyebrow in a way that made him look more like Yami than he had in ten years.

"And you're helping," Mokuba reminded him.

The rebuttal silenced Yugi for awhile, but eventually their conversation moved on to other topics. When Seto spent a brief hour on his laptop in the cabin, Sabrina retreated to the sleeping quarters and resumed her spot in the reclining chair as soon as he left. Despite everything they had just experienced together, the atmosphere for the rest of the flight was decidedly cold.

The remaining seven team members were gathered in Dzam's room when the away team from the away team returned to the hotel in Luxor. It was early evening, almost 8 pm, and the only thing still open were the bars and clubs. While Seto was assuming the team would be winding down, he was surprised to find Dzambul and Akira wanted to host a team meeting as soon as he had settled back in.

"We did it." Dzam beamed. He was so excited he grabbed Seto by the wrist and pushed him into a chair to demonstrate the breakthrough.

"Honda installed the hologram projectors here, here, and here." He pointed to the projectors, each the size of a film canister, on the floorboard, mounted on one of the computer towers and suctioned onto the curtain rod.

"It'll be better and have a wider range when we have six projectors that can handle the software." Honda assured him as they all took a few steps back.

Dzam entered a prompt from his tablet, causing the three tiny projectors to whirr to life. At first tehre were only particles of light blue surrounding Kaiba like an aura, but as seconds past, the particles floated and settled, filling the folds of his clothing and catching in his hair. The CEO too a particle between his fingers.

"Coarse, like sand," he nodded, satisfied. The particle vanished between his fingers, fading into the surrounding light.

"Ready for wind?" Dzam asked. Another button prompt and the particle began moving against him by some unseen breeze. A faint howl accompanied the blowing sand. He felt a single particle hit him in the eye, but there was no irritation: no grain lingering for his tears to wash away. It simply dissipated on impact.

And then the dragon screeched. It was thin, like the sound of a newly hatched bird. Unsure of the direction Kaiba looked over each shoulder in turn before the tiny white creature caught his eye at the base of his chair, just behind his right leg. With flawless, snakelike movements, the minimized dragon circled his leg before looking up at him, again crying as if in need. He felt the faint prick of claws poke into his pantleg as the hologram climbed onto his lap before slithering up the back of the chair and perching on his shoulder. The miniature Blue Eyes let out another baby roar, this time spreading his pale, silvery wings as if he could possibly intimidate anyone. This image was continuously and seamlessly refreshed so that the image never dissipated like the moving sand.

"It's compressed photons," Dzam explained. "Using the coding you already worked out to handle the visuals, we were able to make particles that actually are solid enough to touch. The hardware we will design for them in the future will have sensors that detect light intake and adjust the photons to maintain the hologram's opacity."

"The dragon is warm," Kaiba finally commented. "It feels like sunlight."

"Everything is warm," Dzam replied. "We are still trying to lessen the heat output but we are dealing with lasers and light. If anyone complains we can just tell them Egypt was hot." With the press of a finger, the projectors zapped off and the dragon evaporated.

"And the noise of the projectors?"

Leo leaned forward. "Soundproofing and ambient noises will eliminate that. I can even adjust them based on noise level. No worries."

"And the blue sand?" He wasn't leaving any stone unturned.

"That is just the default color," Dzam shrugged. "As soon as graphics gets on this, we can have Akira put the lighting and shading in it and have a complete package." He glanced at Sabrina. Kaiba followed the lead's gaze over his shoulder.

"Get to it," Seto commanded, "I'm sure the team here can catch you up. First thing in the morning.

Sabrina nodded and uttered a brief, "Aye, sir."

"This is good work." He stood and addressed the team as a whole. "Under Dzambul's leadership, you're all taking immense strides forward. As the owner and CEO, I take pride in knowing we have excellence in the field: men and women dedicated to the craft. Personally, I think this breakthrough calls for a celebration." He removed the KC company credit card from his wallet, holding it between his first two fingers like it was a trading card he planned to play. Brandishing it for all to see first, he handed the card to Mokuba. "Pick a place, have some fun and a few drinks on me."

The words were scarcely out of his mouth before the younger brother snatched the card eagerly to leave immediately. Setsuna Noriega was equally enthusiastic. "I know a club close by," she volunteered, eyeing the card with a lustful gleam that made Seto a little nervous. He was not sure he wanted to know when she'd made the time to go clubbing on the trip.

"Ah, ah, a few rules with this," Seto added, seizing Mokuba by the wrist that held the company card. "First rule: Mokuba is your designated driver."

"Hey!" Mokuba protested.

"You are the only one authorized to use the card, I won't have you using it while inebriated."

Mokuba crossed his arms and sulked.

"Rule two: this is for food and drinks, not souvenirs and strippers. Our finance department looks at all the charges and I don't want to have to explain anything questionable. If you want paid company, pay for that yourself." When no one objected, he continued. "Rule three, Karin is what? Fifteen? No drinks for her. Do not let her buy them, do not buy them for her."

The petite writer pursed her lips, unsure if he was being hyperbolic about her age or if he honestly thought she was that young. "I'm twenty! I can drink legally!"

"Not in this country. Legal age is 21."

Mokuba muttered something under his breath about making her the designated driver since she couldn't drink anyway, but Seto chose to ignore him.

"We're all adults, we'll be responsible." Leo promised, silently taking responsibility for the party as a whole. Seto nodded in affirmation, distracting him just long enough for Mokuba to jerk his hand free from his brother's grasp.

"Car leaves in ten minutes. Be in the lobby if you're coming," he announced.

Dzam's room experienced a mass exodus as both the front and annex doors were used to vacate. Once they were ready, Mokuba was surprised to see both Yugi and Sabrina intended to come, expecting them to give into the jetlag that was gnawing at al of them. What was no surprise was the four who elected not to come: Seto, Ishizu, Dzam, and Honda. It was a tight fit for the remaining seven in their rental SUV, but with the fun in store, none of them cared much.

Although, he had not planned for it, the situation gave Kaiba the opportunity to meet with Ishizu privately and discuss the events of their meeting with Pegasus and the robbery.

"They are after anything related to the shadow games." Ishizu mused. "But surely they don't plan to harness any power from the other dimensions, not without the millennium items."

"They might not know the items exist or that they even have powers," Kaiba noted. "We had the advantages of your necklace and the pharaoh's memories. Coliseum only has hieroglyphs and archaeological archives."

"Let me call Marik. Part of our tomb keeper duties include maintaining the island where Atem is buried. If anyone has tried accessing the island, he would know."

"Tell him to be cautious. We already know Coliseum has nefarious plans and aren't afraid of using force," Seto instructed as she removed her cellphone from an invisible pocket in her dress.

Ishizu had always wore a kalasiris and shawl in the traditional Egyptian fashion. Seto never knew if it was due to her religion or her status as a tomb-keeper that was the basis of her dress, but seeing the image of such an ancient soul in traditional robes handle something so modern as a smartphone seemed oxymoronic.

A knock at the door drew his attention away from the curator's call. Upon answering, he was greeted by a short Egyptian delivery man holding a sizeable flower arrangement comprised primarily of white roses. "Flowers for Sabrina Harrison?" he held out a receipt to be signed.

"Wrong room," Seto replied dryly with no intentions of directing him next door.

"Are you sure? This the room specified in the delivery instruction." The extended arm with the receipt began to tremble as he realized he'd walked into something awkward.

Ishizu appeared behind Kaiba to spare him any further discomfort. "Sabrina is my roommate, and I have a key to our room." She stepped next door and held it open so the florist could place the vase on the table in the girl's rooms. When he returned, she signed the receipt for him and bid him a good day.

"What did your brother say?" Kaiba asked as she passed him in the doorway.

"He didn't answer, but I left him a message." He's probably out where there's no reception."

Seto shut the door. "Who are the flowers from?" he asked with almost a snarl.

"I was going to ask how that was going, but perhaps now is not a good time." Her face remained emotionless and pensive as usual, though her voice took on a tone of being slightly peeved. She didn't prefer to have demands made at her.

Kaiba took a deep breath and tried again. "Who were the flowers from?" he repeated, his tone as demanding as ever, but decidedly less desperate.

"The receipt says the charges were paid for by Industrial Ilusions."

Kaiba scowled. "The flowers were delivered to the wrong room on purpose. It was a power play."

"And that bothers you?" Ishizu sat down in the arm chair opposite the couch.

"Yes." He replied shortly.

When he didn't go into detail, Ishizu calmly asked, "Why?"

"I don't know!" He didn't shout, but the reply was harsh and full of frustration. He spoke as he paced between the kitchenette and the sleeping area. "I felt so jealous watching her swoon over Pegasus but I have no claim on her. No one would deny she is a beautiful, talented, accomplished woman, but my professional interest is in her skills as a graphic artist and my personal interest is in Kisara, not Sabrina." He sat on the couch resting his elbows on his knees. "And yet, when she is in the room, I can't stop staring at her. She fascinates me, but not in a romantic way. But then when her lawyer boyfriend calls, I find myself feeling territorial, almost like we are mutually obligated to each other."

Ishizu nodded, understanding. "I can see you feeling obligated toward her for Set's sake. And her? Does she feel the same unspoken obligation?"

"Evidently not. Between the boyfriend and her celebrity crush, I'm just her employer and the guy she sued for her money." Kaiba leaned back on the couch, crossing his arms and looking at the ceiling to avoid making eye contact. Opening up made him feel vulnerable, but Ishizu had insight into this probably more than anyone else. "So, is that where it ends? Are we actually somehow obligated to each other and does that include romantically? Is my fascination with her only because of who she was or is it something of who she is? I don't know."

"You speak as if you wish to fall in love with Sabrina but are frustrated it isn't happening."

Seto lifted his head a little to face her. "That is exactly how I feel," he replied, feeling almost relieved someone was able to put in into words.

"But why?" Ishizu seemed genuinely confused, "This is a chance for you to defy destiny and show the gods who's really in charge. Aren't you all about screwing the rules?"

"Well, yes, but this is different." He sighed.

"But why is it different," Ishizu asked again.

"Because not doing so makes me feel like I've somehow failed and I don't fail. At anything."

The Egyptian exhaled a short 'hmm'. She was finally getting somewhere. "So you feel obligated to woo her just because you can? She's some sort of conquest?"

"That isn't what I mean," Seto replied with agitation. "I just am used to succeeding at everything I do. Surpassing all expectations in everything I put my hand to: finances, academics, business, card games. Now, it feels like Set has laid out this expectation for me: to finish what he started, to woo her as you put it and protect her and consequently have my fairytale ending that he would have envision, with her and a family. But deep down, I don't want to have a family. I never had one: I had Mokuba and I had my money and those things have always been enough for me. So now I'm faced with remaining within my comfort zone, or attempting a new big step in my life. The next logical step in being successful would be to find a woman and start a family, logically that woman would be Kisara's reincarnation to give Set some kind of closure and to accomplish what my father and even Set himself could not. When we met, I honestly thought this was my chance: she'd make me break down my walls, make me want to cure my selfish ways and soften my heat. I wanted to fall in love, but I see nothing long term happening. I still want to pursue her, but I want to pursue her for me, not for her."

"I don't…wow." The ever eloquent Ishizu Ishtar had no deep insightful response.

"I know I sound like I'm talking out of both sides of my mouth, but you understand what I mean?"

"No, I understand," Ishizu said slowly, "I'm just not sure what I should advise or even what I should say next. The only thing I can say, Kaiba, is give it time. You've known her for all of two months and with Project Dawn and Coliseum vying for your attention, you haven't had the time or focus to get to know her deeply. Perhaps working with her further will settle your mind on her, one way or the other. One thing at a time."

Seto was reminded of his resolve when he was first deciding what to do with his encounters with Sabrina in the first place.

The door unlocked with a click. The two occupants turned their heads to see Mokuba and a slightly buzzed Yugi, who were confused by the scene in front of them.

"Are we interrupting a therapy session or something?" Mokuba asked with a raised eyebrow.

The elder brother abruptly sat up, as if being caught doing something embarrassing. "No. No. I was just relating events of our trip to New York."

Yugi suddenly froze as if smitten with an unseen force before diving for the bathroom.

"I suppose with your roommates back, I'll retire for the night," Ishizu stood and nodded respectfully at Kaiba, ensuring to him silently that he had her confidence in the matter. When she reached the door, she turned to Mokuba. "Leo might need you out here." Mokuba poked his head out to see Akira struggling to hold up Leo.

"Not sure if he's more soused than Sabrina, but he gave her a run for her money," he commented before leaving to help Leo get into his room while Ishizu returned to hers. He reappeared through the annex door a few moments later. "I think we're good. Everyone's in, and let me tell you, Setsuna is one party animal." He was going to say more, but Seto had his hand held up as if asking for silence. He listened and could hear the girls voices through the wall, albeit muffled. Seto beckoned his closer to the wall, a knowing nod between them.

"Yes!" Sabrina's usually modulated voice cut through the wall as she uttered some kind of victory shout.

"Who are they from?" Karin asked.

A moment of silence followed as Sabrina was undoubtedly fumbling with the card left in the arrangement. "Something to remember me by," she read aloud, "Hope your time at my estate was as enchanting as mine. Max." She paused awkwardly, "I think," she slurred, "I think Maximillion Pegasus sent me flowers."

"Are you serious?" Karin's voice was laced with disbelief. "Wow. Well, if your want to break up with the pushy lawyer boyfriend, at least you have options."

"I know," Sabrina replied with a hint of melancholy. "I really like Justin, but sometimes he is just too much. But, but, but Pegasus, I don't know. He's so…" her tone lowered into a muddled string of mumblings too quiet for the Kaibas to hear.

The bathroom door opened, flooding the room with the whine of plumbing and white noise of the overhead fan. Yugi exited, holding his head.

"Next time, Mokuba, I'm not taking any dares. I don't care how much of a…" he stopped when eh saw the two brothers standing suspiciously close to the wall and frantically waving at him to be quiet. He immediately lowered his voice and joined them. "Who are we eavesdropping on?"

"Kisara."

"You mean Sabrina?"

"Ssshhh," Mokuba silenced him.

"…and the whole time he was the perfect gentleman. I mean, how is he still single. He isn't even thirty-five." Her words came out slowly as if she had to choose them one at a time. "He's like a young Ger.."

"I thought you were having sexy dreams about Seto Kaiba too, right?" Setsuna interrupted her suddenly. Sabrina blanched.

"Nnnn No!" she objected indignantly.

"Um…actually, Sabrina, we heard you," Karin meekly backed up Setsuna on the issue. "You talk in your sleep a lot."

"I do not!" Sabrina insisted.

"I mean, we all heard it. 'Set, Set no. Set, please," Setsuna drunkenly mocked adding unrealistic breathy gasps and moans.

Yugi and Mokuba looked at each other then at Kaiba, who was so rapt in the conversation, he didn't even notice them. He stood listening, not even daring to blink, trying to absorb everything he could.

A violent thud shook the wall. "Shut up!" Sabrina roared, her surge of anger brought on by her inebriation. The boys all took a step back.

"I'm not scared of you," Setsuna cackled.

"Whoa, whoa," Karin interjected, "Let's not start anything you two will regret when you're sober."

"We still have two days to wrap anything we need to do before returning home, and I doubt you want ot spend all the time in these hotel rooms and the ride home mad at each other." Ishizu admonished them. "Perhaps the best thing is to just drink some water, forget anything was said at all, and go to sleep."

Seto exhaled. "I think that probably is best." he huffed, leaving his roommates and changing for bed. They followed suit soon after, but the distinct scowl on his face made it clear not to talk to him. Mokuba and Yugi remained silent and dressed for bed.

For a night meant to celebrate success, not very many people went to bed that evening happy.


	17. Separate Ways

A/N: I promise I'm not a weeaboo or an otaku or anything. But one thing I do like is the additions of honorifics in the Japanese language, rather than titles or pet names like we use in English. In my mind, Mokuba would be referring to Sabrina as 'nee-san' frequently much to Seto's displeasure. It's bad enough that she took part of his company and his inheritance and doesn't admire him the way her past self did, now he has to deal with his best friend getting along with her well enough to consider her family. He also would hate it that Mokuba flaunts having a sister even though no one actually realizes it.

The final two days of the illustrious 'research trip' were markedly dull. While Sabrina worked to catch up with Akira and Honda to perfect the demo VR dragon, the other eight had no necessity to interact and thus worked in silent independence. Perhaps fortune intended it to give everyone time to cool down from the partying and girl talk the night before.

By noon on the last day, the three of them each had a fully rendered Duel Monsters that they treated like pets: Sabrina worked with a miniature blue eyes sleeping in her lap like a cat, Honda with a kuriboh perched on his shoulder to fiddle with the fur texture, and Akira with two scape goats on the floor that he used to experiment with the holograms interacting with each other.

Karin couldn't help but laugh when she came to collect Sabrina for lunch. "I just have this hilarious mental picture of Seto Kaiba sitting in his high back office chair and turning around to face his clients stroking his tiny pet blue eyes white dragon instead of a Persian cat."

"Make it a promotional photo." Honda said, tapping Sabrina on the arm. "Talk to Mokuba and make it happen. People will love it."

"He'd never go for it," Sabrina replied as she closed her laptop and scooted the blue eyes off her lap. The tiny creature glared at her for her insolence of forcing him to wake up and move, but curled up on the bed and soon went back to sleep.

The Lear Jet landed in Alexandra to refuel and drop Ishizu off. Despite the rest of the team asking if they could spare a few hours to see the, sights, Kaiba insisted they get back to Domino as quickly as possible to keep Project Dawn on schedule. Their plans were thrown into question when four police officers to meet them on the tarmac with the airport crew.

"More opposition from Coliseum?" Sabrina asked Mokuba.

"Looks like we're about to find out," Yugi replied gesturing out the window that the two officers ascended the stairs to board the craft.

"Ishizu Ishtar?" one of the officers scanned the faces of the four females present to find the correct woman, accurately addressing the only Egyptian on the craft.

"Yes, sir." The curator stepped forward to address the uniformed officer.

"Miss Ishtar, I'm going to need you to come with me. We'd like to escort you to a private room here at the airport and ask you a few questions concerning a break-in at the Cavafy Museum."

"Yes, of course,"

"With legal council present, of course," Seto insisted. Mokuba was already scooting out into the aisle before he had finished.

Ten minutes later, Ishizu, Mokuba and the two officers were seated across the table from each other in a room provided by airport security. All four of the rooms occupants looked equally uncomfortable.

"Miss Ishtar, we would like you to know that at this time you are not under any kind of investigation, and you are not being detained in any way…"

"Then why is she here?" Mokuba cut the officer off, speaking for Ishizu. "Whatever it is you want, sirs, get to the point so we can get on our way."

The men were taken aback by the steel in his voice. The senior officer stammered a bit before speaking:

"We responded to a tripped alarm at your private office in the museum. When we arrived at your office, the room was completely destroyed." The officer's brow was creased with concern. "Every draw and cabinet was dumped, but the only thing we know was taken was your computer tower." He inhaled, clearly uncomfortable. "Since we were unable to reach you by phone, due to you being in flight, we sent some men to your home address outside the market. The tomb had also been ransacked and we found your brothers…."

"Dead?" she guessed before he could say it. Both men removed their hats.

"We are following every lead, combing through the security footage, trying to find witnesses. We will find out who did this, miss."

Ishizu had to blink away the shock, "Umm…I…I suppose I'll have to identify the bodies?" she stammered.

The other officer stepped forward. "Miss Ishtar, your brothers were killed rather brutally. We believe they were tortured for information before being killed. We have already identified both by their tatoos and would not want to traumatize you any further. We will release the remains to you when the autopsies are complete."

The Egyptian woman sank further back into her seat, trying to process how quickly her life had turned while Mokuba sat by, unable to do anything to help.

"In the meantime, for your own safety, we'd like you to stay out of the city at least for a few weeks. Whoever did this was clearly looking for something connected to you personally, and you are still most likely their primary target. Is there any family you can visit or somewhere safe you can stay until this is all sorted out?"

Ishizu shook her head, "Marik and Odion were my only family."

"She can come back to Domino with us," Mokuba declared. "As she is employed with KaibaCorp, we will provide her with housing and protection as you know we can afford."

"That sounds like a safe option," the senior officer nodded. After a few more routine questions about suspects, what work she did as a curator, and looking at a few photographs to identify people on the security footage, he produced some pen and paper for her to write down her personal information before releasing them back into the airport, both of the men offering their condolences and reassuring her of their determination to find justice.

She gripped Mokuba's sleeve and wouldn't let it go the entire walk back to the plane.

The cabin breathed a universal sigh of relief when they both came back, both that neither of them had been arrested and that they could finally continue their flight home.

"How much did you have to pay them off this time?" Akira asked before realizing the solemnity on their faces.

"Ishizu will be staying with us," Mokuba announced to the cabin in general. "The local police think she might be in danger due to a break in at her museum."

"Marik and Odion are dead," she said dryly. "There is little point in hiding it. They were tortured and killed in our home, meaning someone out there knows where I live and where I work and so the police have advised me to stay away from Alexandria for a few weeks."

The flight attendant standing behind them caught Seto's eye, how long she'd been standing there waiting to be noticed no one was sure. The two made eye contact and she nodded, confirming the jet was fueled and the captain was ready to continue. The slightest nod of his head was all she needed to proceed, nervously shutting and securing the doors before scurrying back into the cockpit.

The best word to describe the overall tone of the away team was stunned. Ishizu was new to most of the team; most had only seen pictures of her brothers, but a double homicide happening to someone they knew was difficult to mentally digest. It was if time had slowed to delay the reality of the situation and the slightest noise would bring everything crashing in. They remained silent, unmoving, letting their laptops and phones go to sleep from inactivity. No one knew what to say. Ishizu gingerly took her seat, buckling the belt around her waist and putting her head in her hands, refusing to speak further. As the others took their seats, they gave her a berth, leaving her by herself in the aisle reclining chair.

A few minutes passed before the PA announced the aircraft would be taxiing soon. The occupants sat and buckled, the interjection the only break in the silence.

By the window, Yugi blinked back tears. All of the Ishtars had become dear friends and their deaths were a blow to him, but he didn't want his emotions to exacerbate or overshadow Ishizu's loss. He felt a hand brush against his, looking away from the window, he saw Karin had removed a tissue from a small package in her purse and had pushed one across the table for him. He smiled a silent 'thank you' before pushing the packet back.

When they reached cruising altitude, Ishizu left for the sleeping quarters.

"Should on of us go with her?" Karin asked Yugi.

"She's a very private person," Yugi responded, "Just let her grieve alone for now. We can give our sympathies when she's regained her composure."

Akira and Honda seized the open reclining chairs both putting their bud phones and ignoring the world around them.

The remaining team felt comfortable enough to start making noise again. Within half an hour of Ishizu leaving, the sound level had returned: keyboards clacked, conversations carried and time had returned to its normal speed. Setsuna and Dzam argued over the placement of a live fountain in the environment while Seto withdrew from the work area, choosing instead to sit caddy corner to Leo so they could both stretch their legs.

"You knew Ishizu before, right?" Karin asked Yugi.

"Yes, she was a quarterfinalist in the Duel City Tournament years back. Both Marik and Odion made it to the quarterfinals, too. Marik and I were the finalists. It's hard to process that they're just gone, that we'll never see them again."

"Do…do you think it was Coliseum?" Sabrina asked gravely.

Mokuba and Yugi looked at each other first before Mokuba replied:

"Coliseum is targeting KaibaCorp. I don't see why they would target Ishizu's career and family. It might be that her family as the last line of tomb keepers was a target for religious or terrorist organizations." He was lying. There was little doubt in his mind Coliseum was behind it looking for information on the Shadow Games. However, the less they knew, the better.

The conversation turned to other topics while Honda pestered Kaiba about the unsolvable 'kira' deaths that were spreading to other continents. Dzam finally overruled Setsuna on the fountain just as lunch was being offered by the flight attendant.

They had to stop in New Delhi to switch pilots, a happy happenstance for the passengers who did not get to stretch their legs at Alexandria. This stop, Seto graciously permitted the team to deplane and walk the terminal while the formalities of flight were being conducted. Ishizu even emerged from the sleeping quarters to exit with the rest of the group but kept to herself inside the gate.

No other private planes were on the air strip, so the team had the terminal to themselves. Mokuba splurged and bought everyone a coffee which they sipped while walking the thinly carpeted floors, or in Leo's case, sprawling on the floor. Seto and Mokuba disappeared entirely, presumably to find an elevator in which to chat. Ishizu was waiting for the pair of them when it was time to reboard.

"I want to go back," she stated.

Kaiba responded with a flat. "No."

"My brothers are tomb keepers and they deserve our traditional funeral. Not to sit decaying in some morgue. Their tatoos are meant to be known only to the tomb-keeper line, and now there's probably hundreds of recorded police photos. It's my sworn duty to see their bodies are properly burned."

"Your safety comes first," Mokuba answered with true concern.

"And what about the safety of everyone else, Mokuba Kaiba?"her voice was laced with desperation. "What if they found the island? What fi they desecrated or robbed Atem's tomb? How long would it be before anyone found out? No. The duty of keeping the secrets and traditions of the pharaoh's is solely on me."

Their altercation was drawing the attention of the team, none of whom were about to interrupt them to pass through.

"I can arrange…" Kaiba began.

"You don't understand," she cut him off. "This is now my responsibility. I was born into this life, and duty comes first. Always. Keeping and preserving our culture used to be my father's calling, then my brothers' and now it is mine because there is no one left. I have no one left." Her last statement vanished into a hush as she lost her composure entirely. Her usually stoic eyes filled with tears as the sorrow overcame her. She buried her head in her hands and began to sob bitterly.

Kaiba froze. He didn't know what to do. She had never been a woman who shoed weakness, but now she seemed so fragile, her strength and determination shattered. He didn't want to let her go back, but didn't know what to say to make her stay. He didn't want her to be hurt, but had no words to comfort her. He had mastered how to engage strangers, but being a supportive friend was still foreign to him.

Luckily, Yugi stepped up gently folding the grieving woman into his arms. She kept her hands in her face out of embarrassment. He snapped lightly at Karen and gestured for her to produce the tissues again. Karin nodded and slipped the packet into his hand.

"I know it isn't fair," Yugi said, "But right now, if you go back, there might not be anyone to bury your brothers or keep the tombs, and I know Marik and Odion would rather you stay out of harm's reach than bury their bodies properly. Please. Until we have a plan. Stay with us."

She took the tissue from his hand, wiping her eyes before nodding. Yugi escorted her up the jetway, the others following, not looking forward to another eight hours in the air.

"Where will I stay?" Ishizu asked when they began their final descent into Domino.

"We rent several hotel rooms and apartments for housing out of town clients, employees, and assets such as yourself. I'll have my secretary make sure you are sufficiently accommodated." Even when trying to set her mind at ease, everything Seto said came across as a business matter.

"Where were these apartments when I was in Domino?" Sabrina asked suspiciously.

"Reserved," Kaiba replied, "They are for clients and VIP's not interview candidates." Even with Sabrina, his comments came out harsher than he had intended, though he was a bit irritated she had been indiscreet enough to mention coming to Domino prior to receiving a job offer from KaibaCorp.

"At any rate, I doubt is it wise she should stay alone," Yugi said, trying to change the subject, "If they could track her down where she lives, the next place they'll look is where she's working."

"What do you suggest then?" Seto asked, 'Where is she going to stay?"

"With me," Sabrina stated, "I have a spare room. It is currently unfurnished and she can decorate it as she pleases. I have my own bathroom, so the only thing we'll really be sharing is the living area and the laundry. Since I own it outright, all you'd have to pay is utilities."

"Which KAibaCorp will gladly cover for you," Mokuba noted.

"Is that ok?" Sabrina asked, finally asking Ishizu's opinion on the matter.

"I would much rather stay with someone I know than alone. Thank you." Ishizu smiled numbly.

Sabrina smiled. "Then it's a slumber party. As soon as you get settled, we can go get you some more clothes and toiletries."

A few short minutes later, the plane landed at the Domino International Airport. The research trip had come to a close. With a clear direction, breakthrough programming and a wealth of gathered source material, Project Dawn was on the road to launching ahead of schedule. Yet, despite the massive progress and keystones being set, the away team felt deflated. Jet lag, Ishizu's brothers and the letdown of the whirlwind adventure being over dampened everything that was supposed to be celebrated.

The overcast skies matched the tone of the travelers as they collected their luggage and prepared to go their separate ways.

"It was good work, all of you," Dzam said, bowing politely.

"Well, if I never see you fine gentlemen again, it's been a privilege," he said clapping Akira and Honda on the shoulders.

"Nothing lasts forever," Honda replied, ever the philosopher. "We have lived entirely separate lives until a few weeks ago, and from this point, they'll all diverge again."

"But we'll still be friends, right? I mean, we can still keep in touch on social media and meet up for drinks or something?" Karin got a little bleary eyed at the finality of it. "I'm not expecting us to get matching tatoos or anything, but we can at least stay connected."

Yugi looked at his hand with a pang of nostalgia.

"Even if we can't meet up physically, we'll always have pictures and memories, plus the project when it's finished. And, we'll probably get to see each other in passing around the office." Akira said, trying to cheer her up.

"We'll always have Luxor." Sabrina mused.

Everyone laughed.

"I like it," Karin smiled. She hugged her newly found sisters and it escalated from there: Seto was unfortunate enough to be within arms' reach of Leo as he was literally strong armed into a group hug as the cars pulled up to the curb to separate them.

The Kaibas' limousine pulled up making them the first to leave. A company car followed taking Dzam, Leo and Setsuna. Akira, Karin and Sabrina's personal vehicles were brought to the curbside, leaving Yugi and Honda to take the bus home.

For the first few weeks, keeping the away team together was easy. As many as possible would eat lunch together in the basement cafeteria, find excuses to stop by each other's works stations and even spend time together after work, but as the project came into full swing, schedules changed and conflicted; life was interfering.

The fellowship was breaking.


	18. Holodeck SRO

A/N: I apologize profusely for the delay in the posting of these two chapters, but I had initially only planned to release it as a single chapter and was having a hard time figuring what to cut it down to before realizing I wanted all of it to stay in.

"I'm not spying on her for you," Ishizu folded her arms in defiance. "She is her own woman and deserves her privacy."

"We aren't saying to rummage through her drawers," Mokuba said, trying to backpedal on his older brother's choice of words. "We are just asking you to keep your eyes and ears open for anything helpful."

"And report it to you like some kind of informant?" I won't do it. Sabrina was kind enough to open her home to me. I won't exploit that.

"Look, she has a past like us and we've already been made targets by Coliseum. She is in danger and isn't even aware of it." Seto took a step toward her to appear more formidable. "And if history is repeating itself, then she was born with a powerful creature inside her body. That alone threatens the safety of more than just her. Ishizu, please. You know this is beyond any of us."

Ishizu leaned back against the mirrored walls of the Kaibas' private elevator. Her traditional robes traded in for professional business attire, she now blended in seamlessly with her peers at KaibaCorp wearing a white blouse and black floral skirt that covered her knees. She had even foregone the earrings and necklace and was wearing her hair up. It was undeniable she looked nothing like her former self but was every bit as beautiful and sophisticated. She exhaled sharply. "I won't play matchmaker for you two, nor will I ever press her for information."

"We aren't asking you to do either."

She was silent in thought for a few moments before continuing. "She lives in sizeable house that is paid for in full, but she doesn't want anyone from work knowing she has a small fortune. Hence, she is at least discreet with her inheritance and her identity. As far as her past life goes, she seems to be less connected with her memories since we left Egypt. The dreams and headaches have since stopped."

"And she has no idea?" Seto asked.

"Of her past life? No. She has yet to link Kisara's identity to the dragon or herself. On the other hand, she is getting progressively more suspicious of Coliseum."

Mokuba looked up from his cell phone. "What do you mean?"

"She suspects their involvement in both the robbery in New York and the attack on the tombs, but thinks it is some vendetta aimed against you personally. She may be blind to her past but not to her present."

"Which means we will all have to be careful to watch what we say around her," Seto half stated half commanded.

"Why not just tell her?" asked Mokuba, "Just take her to the museum and show her the giant rocks and explain it to her the way you explained it to me. If she's asking questions, she might be ready for the truth."

"What do you want me to tell her? Even if she does believe in reincarnation, I don't think there's an easy way to tell her she had a past life that ended prematurely due to giving up her life force to a literal dragon."

Mokuba frowned. "I can see how that would sound a bit odd.

"While I think now might not be the right time, I do think you ought to tell her." Ishizu said. "And she needs to hear it from you. And it needs to be before she finds out on her own, because if she finds out from someone other than you, she will feel incredibly manipulated. For now, however, we should keep focusing on Project Dawn and stopping Coliseum."

"Abouth that," Seto's demeanor changed, "I wanted to tell you how sorry I am about your brother's and how cold I was when you asked to go back. I was thinking of doing what I thought was best for you without regarding how you felt and what you were going through. I would be devastated if I lost my brother and you lost both of yours. I wanted t offer my condolences even though they're delayed and promise you will we go back when we are able and give them a proper funeral, and we will make Coliseum pay."

She could tell his speech had been rehearsed. Mokuba had probably written it for him, but by the gods was it sincere. She smiled. "Thank you, Seto. It helps to know everyone around me cares."

Satisfied the 'meeting' was concluded, he pressed the button on the elevator panel to resume their descent.

"We are grabbing something to eat before we go home if you'd like to join us," Mokuba offered.

"Thank you, but Sabrina is waiting for me in the lobby. She's my ride home."

"You could invite her too."

"No," Seto interjected, "We don't need to be seen favoring certain employees over others, Mokuba. It's bad for business."

Mokuba crossed his arms, sulking in the most professional way he knew how.

When the doors opened to let Ishizu off, Sabrina was waiting for her, standing opposite the main elevator. "Where have you been? I thought you said you were on your way down…" her eyes darted ot the open doors of the private elevator. She didn't have to say anything more; her eyes sharp with icy indignation conveyed exactly what she was thinking toward Seto. Mokuba had the audacity to smile and wave as the doors closed, only serving to infuriate her more.

"What was that about?" Mokuba scoffed.

"She was probably waiting a while and was upset we kept Ishizu so long."

"Or maybe it's the other elevator incident, the one we never talked about." He looked at his brother, waiting for him to expound. Seto merely replied:

"Perhaps."

"That's isn't very insightful. How can I help the two of you happen if you don't tell me what happened?"

"Mokuba, I don't want your help on this," Seto said slowly, choosing his words carefully, "Not that I don't think I could use some advice, but I don't want to force my relationship with Sabrina or manipulate it, or have someone else manipulate it."

"Since when does Seto Kaiba _not_ want absolute control of everything?"

"Since Ishizu and I had an existential talk about destiny and free will. If Sabrina and I end up in a relationship, I want it to be because we chose it as individuals, free of obligations, incarnations, and any matchmaking schemes to push us together. That goes for Yugi, too. If what we have is created artificially, neither of us will ever know if it is genuine or not." Seto was usually serious, but this statement carried an air of gravity Mokuba had rarely seen.

The elevator slowed and lurched into place.

"Speaking of Yugi," Mokuba said, changing the subject to something lighter as they walked to the cafeteria. "Setsuna is going to be running some tests in the VR lab next week to perfect the environment. Most of the away team will be there: Dzam, Honda, Akira, Sabrina, plus the SME's."

"Let me guess," Seto predicted, "You want the two of us to go 'pop in' in the name of it being a good chance to touch base with the project and take some PR photos but you actually just want me to be in the same room as Miss Harrison."

Mokuba kept a straight face, replying merely with a: "Perhaps."

"Did you not hear what I just said about not manipulating this?"

"This isn't manipulation, this is keeping you informed. It's just letting you know where she will be and when. Answer me this: how will you ever find out if you two have chemistry if you never interact with her?"

He had a fair point.

"PR purposes only." Seto grudgingly agreed. "No set ups."

"No set ups," Mokuba promised. "No sending flowers with your name on the card, or conveniently ensuring you two are sitting together at company dinners, or chance encounters at the same restaurant."

"You've thought a lot about this, haven't you?" Seto asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I just want to see you happy." Mokuba shrugged.

"You know what would make me happy right now? Food…and you and Yugi putting a stop to the conspiracy."

"I can give you at least one of those." Mokuba said, but he intend to specify which one.

The VR control room sat perched overlooking the testing room that lasted almost the full length of the floor. An observation gallery sat opposite the control room, communication between the two accomplished by a monitor in both. Setsuna stood and pointed, furiously doling out orders like a ship's captain.

'Keep a close eye on the heat output.'

'Saturate the colors a bit more.'

'Too much wind, I said a gentle breeze, not a tornado.'

'Add things one at a time. Background first, then static assets, then moving ones.'

In the observation gallery, some thirty employees on the project crammed into standing room only to see their project coming to life. Before their eyes, the test chamber transformed into an Egyptian bazaar. Tents, wares, merchants, camels decked with jewelry and saddles lined a wide, sandy pathy leading to the chiseled steps of a temple. The room erupted in applause when the sounds were added, completing the environment.

"Heat output?"

"Thirty-six," the technician replied.

"And that's holding steady?"

The tech continued looking at the monitor for a few seconds longer before giving her the thumbs up.

"Alright," Setsuna looked into the monitor that shoed the observation deck. "I need three volunteers to go try the environment out."

Almost every hand shot up, begging to be selected like a student still in primary school. Setsuna selected a few to head down to the floor, sending Akira down with a walkie talkie to join them.  
"Let's keep the four of you together for now. Later I will let you spread out." She instructed.

"It's hot." was the first comment Akira made. "But it looks so amazing." The three moved slowly through the bazaar. Akira and his peers had been adding various shading and lighting to the 3D models for moths, but seeing it and feeling it on a full scale was almost overwhelming. "The fur physics on these camels are amazing, Honda."

"Pet one!" Honda shouted from the observation room, hoping Setsuna's walkie had picked it up.

Everyone watched through the glass as Honda reached his hand to touch the creature. The camel roared at him in a sharp disapproval, sending Akira sprawling backward while holographic merchant begged his forgiveness.

"Interaction is good." Setsuna commented.

"That wasn't nice." Akira's voice crackled through the walkie.

"Let one of you split off," Setsuna instructed. One of the four was allowed to wander off, then two, then the third, putting all four in a different place on the floor.

"Engines are still running well," one technician said as he carefully observed the reactions the environment was making to each of the individual players.

"That's also the threshold," another said, "39.8, less than a degree shy of overheating."

Setsuna thought for a moment. "Switch to the night setting and increase the wind. Try and bring the temperature down."

The sky rapidly faded from bright blue to a dark purple. Stars dotted the sky with no moon, leaving only the torchlight at eye level for a light source. The wind along with an additional whistle blew through the floor via silent fans.

"Breeze feels a little better, but we're all getting sweaty. Is the temperature dropping?" Akira asked.

"Already back down to 39 and continuing to decrease."

"It's so weird to feel something with perfect texture and then feel it melt away," one of Akira's test mates commented, "It's like warm, sublimating hand gelatin."

"But it's dry." Another chimed in.

In the control booth, Setsuna moved from the monitor to one of her coordinators. "Initiate a brawl," she commanded, "No weapons, just fists."

"One brawl coming right up," He selected an npc close to Akira to brush his shoulders on the way past. The npc's lifelike face scowled and squinted at Akira before shoving him backward with both hands. Akira swayed back from the force.

"Was that part of the demo?" he asked into the walkie. In reponse, the hologram took a swing at him Akira dodged two blows before taking a third in the jaw.

"What am I suppose to do, Setsuna?"

"Fight back or lose him," Setsuna replied.

Akira took the first option swinging wildly at his adversary, his fist making contact with the hologram's left pec. The Egyptian grapped his chest where he'd been hit, panting as if the air had been knocked out of him. Rallying, he took another lunge at Akira. This time, Akira was ready, planting his feet and waiting delivering another blow to the side of his adversary's head. The npc flew to the side, skidding on the ground kicking up dust and disturbing the other merchants. Soon, all the npcs were looking on at the fight, women shouting for their children to stay put and men either cheering them on or encouraging them to break it up. The Egyptian looked as if he was going to try for another attack, but Akira's teammates show up. Eying the four of them, he thought better of a four on one fight and backed off to nurse his wounds.

"That was incredible," Akira panted. I felt it. I felt the force of his punch and him pushing me, but it didn't hurt, but did you see that? Did you see how everyone reacted?"

"It looks good, Setsuna," Dzam said as Akira continued to rant over the walkie talkie.

"Anything you think it needs?" Setsuna asked.

"Besides a moon?"

She froze. Her mouth open in embarrassment she looked for words. "I don't know how I forgot it, I was just so focused on making sure the star patters were correct, I totally forgot to include the moon."

Dzam laughed. "It's something that should be easy to fix. I would also recommend thinning out the npcs. It will reduce the heat and we can always add them back in depending on how big our initial chamber is going to be and how cool we can keep it. I did notice some of the character models froze up while moving. We'll have to patch those. I will say though, I liked the camel's reaction."

"All of the mobile assets respond negatively to being engaged to keep teenagers and kids from trying anything stupid."

Dzam looked out at the environment again. "Let's rotate in a few new people as I'm sure they'd all like a turn."

The observation deck erupted in varying levels of agreement. Four more were selected and Akira passed off the walkie to rejoin the control deck.

"What about essential npc's? Are any of those on the floor now?" Seto asked.

"I haven't loaded to test any of those yet. I can if you'd like."

"Let's do it."

One by one, under Setsuna's instruction, the priests, bandits and pharaoh were spawned on the floor. While the demonstration was specifically for Dzam and Seto, Sabrina seemed the most excited by it.

"They're perfect." She breathed. She removed her sketchbook to hand to the project heads. "They look exactly like how I wanted them rendered." Dzam perused the sketchbook with Seto looking over his shoulder. The pictures were exquisite, only matched by how accurate and realistic they looked in the environment.

"Sabrina has worked countless hours with Karin and Ishizu to get everything from the exact skin tones to the fabric and dyes that would have been available back then." Setsuna commented as they looked from sketchbook to VR chamber, "I dare say it's paid off."

"What is this supposed to be?" He folded the book in half, holding up the image in question. It was a stunning likeness of Kaiba himself sitting in his high-backed office chair, his left leg propped up on his right knee and his right elbow resting on the armrest so he could rest his head on his knuckles. His left hand rested on the small blue eyes white dragon that was sitting in his lap like a spoiled pet. He was smirking arrogantly, looking down his nose at whoever his observer might be. The bottom edge looked as if it had been erased and rewritten several times before the current caption:

There are some things money can't buy

Unless you're me

The majority of the room marveled in silence, both at the artwork and the potential fallout. Until Akira got a closer look at it. Then he laughed out loud.

"I didn't think you'd actually drawn it! It's perfect. Can I have it?"

"Can I buy it?" Mokuba asked.

Sabrina was too embarrassed to address either of them, keeping her eyes on Seto who stood impatiently waiting for some sort of answer.

"I…Karin suggested it and I thought it would be funny. We joked that it would be a funny promotional poster and I was bored on the flight home," she rambled, "and I never thought you'd see it, but if you did, I didn't think you'd mind, but I guess you do…"

"I need the Ishizu, Sabrina, and two other volunteers from the graphics and art department. I want you to look over the essential npc's and the environment. Look for anything we missed need to fix." Whether Setsuna's call for her was intentional or not, Sabrina exhaled in relief.

"I'm sorry, they need me. If you could just leave the sketchbook over there with my bag. Thanks." She scurried out, blushing a vibrant red with embarrassment.


	19. An inconvenient theory

A/N: This story is getting so big, It's now 15,000 words more than my actual book book. I don't know why this story has so much more inspiration, but for someone who used to claim fanfiction was not a valid form of creative writing, I'm 50,000 words in. Hope y'all like it.

From the glass panes of the control room, Sabrina's face was still visibly red.

"Take a look around and see if there's anything missing or off." Setsuna instructed from above.

"It looks so amazing," Ishizu said, drinking it all in. "It almost reminds me of home."

"I'll take that as a huge compliment," Sabrina called over her shoulder as she scoured the environment. After several minutes of looking in silence, she pointed to one of the carts toward the wall. "Did you see one of the character models glitches out when he sits on the cart?" she asked.

Setsuna craned her neck to see which one in particular Sabrina meant.

"This cannot be happening," Ishizu said to herself, albeit loudly enough for Sabrina to hear. "Setsuna, we have a huge problem." she said int other walkie. Setsuna saw Ishizu's shoulder's sag, her head hanging in defeat.

"Something wrong?" she asked through the walkie.

"Every hieroglyph. Every single one is backward," Ishizu replied. "Not mirrored, in the wrong order."

"All of them?" Setsuna asked? "Are you serious? Everything has to be re-entered manually. That's an hour and a half minimum to fix." She laced her fingers behind her head in frustration.

"But we can fix that any time," Akira said, "That isn't something that's breaking the environment."

"It isn't accurate, and some fanboy is going to post about it on his youtube channel. Not to mention it will interfere with the story element. Remembering the order of hieroglyphs is one of the puzzles in the game." She pushed the button on the walkie to talk. "Go ahead and shut the environment down and have everyone meet back in the control room."

"I don't mind staying to see it gets fixed." Ishizu said from the floor, "So long as somebody gives me a ride home."

Sabrina quietly sighed in relief that she didn't have to be there any longer. Stuffing her sketchbook into her messenger bag, she hustled to the door as quickly as she could while still beign professional.

"Miss Harrison," Seto called after her. Sabrina froze, not even daring to turn around and face the wrath of her superior for her little piece of artwork. "The art and color were well done."

Sabrina looked over her shoulder, the shock of the compliment visible on her face.

"Your vision and skill truly bring the environment to its full potential." He continued.

"Thank you sir," was the only reply she could muster before turning back and making her escape.

After her departure, the remaining team in the observation deck filtered into the control room for discussion.

"Was there anything we missed that wasn't previously mentioned?" Setsuna asked the team.

One of the sound developers from Leo's department raised his hand. "I noticed the sand crunches when the npc's walk but not the players."

"We can fix that," Setsuna said.

Another hand went up, and then another. While only a handful were game breaking, the team pointed out over thirty noticeable errors. Dzam took note of everything that was mentioned along with the proposed solutions. Setsuna grew increasingly more frustrated with each flaw; by the last one, she was furious, slamming down the walkie talkie and letting out a roar of anger through gritted teeth.

"There's no way I can fix all this by the end of the week," she huffed, sitting down for the first time in six hours.

Dzam uncapped a water bottle and offered it to her. "This isn't even a prototype test. It doesn't' have to be flawless. We don't even have all the sound hammered out."

I knew it wasn't going to be perfect, but I at least thought I would have had a solid demonstration. Not major things. Like forgetting the moon!" The threw her hand toward the environment ceiling, fuming at her own mistake. "I just thought we had it put together so much better than it is. With everything we have to fix, we will be stuck back writing code for the rest of the week, and we're fighting for use of the test floor since it was out of commission for a few weeks. The hardware team from gaming has it all next week."

"Then lets take the rest of this week and next and focus on hammering out all the issues. Work out all the kinks when we don't have access to the environment anyway." Honda said coolly. 'I'm sure our project lead and our CEO can pull some strings to get us a few weeks to ourselves to tweak what we want once we have the major things fixed."

"Also, next weekend we are finally having the liquid helium delivered for the coolant system." Seto added, "You wouldn't have to monitor the heat after that and could focus exclusively on the environment, not its impact on the hardware."

"Noriega, I think taking a step back and letting everyone breat is for the best." Dzam said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Your pride is keeping you from seeing how big of a success this first run was. You've demonstrated more than proof of concept. Enjoy that victory. Everyone else certainly is. Just finish up with the notes and go home."

Setsuna took a few deep breaths before assenting. "Fine. Let's head back up to the offices. But when we get the floor back, there will be no mercy until it's ready for a full interactive demonstration."

"Fair enough," Dzam agreed.

"Does this mean we're done with the floor entirely?" Akira asked.

"Yeah, go ahead and shut it all down," Setsuna gestured to all of the consoles. The individual technicians began powering down. "If any of you have any notes or concerns be sure they are emailed to me before you leave."

As Setsuna spoke, Ishizu's phone began to vibrate. Her brow furrowed in confusion when the caller ID appeared.

"News from home?" Mokuba asked.

"No. It's Sabrina. She never calls; if she needs something, she just texts. Ishizu answered and placed the phone to her ear.

"Ishizu! Don't come home! Someone broke into the house. They know you're here!" Her panicked voice could clearly be heard by the entire room.

"How?" Dzam asked in disbelief.

"Did she call the police?" Mokuba asked.

"What is happening?" Setsuna spat.

"Is she alright?" Seto demanded.

Ishizu was too flustered to ask any of the questions she was being bombarded with. "Are you hurt?" she finally managed.

There was a long pause.

"Yeah," Sabrina said, lowering her voice.

"Put her on speakerphone," Seto ordered quietly. Ishizu glared at him and shook her head. She listened intently as Sabrina spoke, turning her back and stepping away from the group.

Kaiba sulked silently as he listened to only one side of the conversation.

"Ok, but did you call the police? Good…No, I have it…I'm sorry….no…just…don't worry about it. Stay where you are and keep us posted. We will too…I promise. Ok. Bye." She turned back around to face the inquisitive faces of her coworkers.

"She's called the police and emergency services, but they haven't arrived yet. She's at a neighbor's house. One of the robbers hit her head with the butt of his pistol. Otherwise she's safe. They're gone now."

"How is she not dead?" Honda asked.

"Honda!" Akira punched him in the arm.

"It's a fair question. Whoever is after Ishizu had no qualms about killing before."

"That is a fair question, but right now I have a more pressing one. What do we do now? We're compromised."

"Why don't we discuss this on the way to the hospital," Seto asked, seizing his briefcase. "If she's had an injury, the closest hospital would be Ootori Medical Downtown. IF we leave now, we can get there in under an hour."

Setsuna gave Ishizu a reaffirming hug. "Send her all our live, and tell her we're glad she's safe."

"I will."

The car was ready for the Kaiba's and Ishizu before the doors opened on the elevator of the ground level. Seto drove.

"We have from here to downtown to figure out how Coliseum found out where you were staying, what they want with you and how we are going to present this to Sabrina." Mokuba said from the back seat.

Ishizu thought. "I can't imagine why. They might be after me because of my lineage. They might see me as a loose end and want to kill me."

"I don't think it's that." Seto replied .'If they wanted to kill you they wouldn't have ransacked your office in Egypt or your apartment when you weren't home. They're not after you, they're after something you have or something you know."

"I don't have anything, and the only information I have that Marik and Odion didn't know except my work with you and the museum. They might be after a translation I'm working on. There are a few sections of the tomb keepers labyrinth that were written in heiroglyps lost to us for generation. I learned about them through the museum and wanted to translate and record them for our legacy. I don't know how Coliseum would have known I had undertaken it."

"Who else knew?" asked Mokuba.

"My brothers. No one else knew."

"And who knew where you were staying in Domino?"

Ishizu shrugged. "You two, Yugi, Sabrina, Setsuna. I think Dzam knew too but that's about it. Well, and whoever processed my paperwork when I was hired officially."

"All people from work," Mokuba mused, "And all potentially people who would have known the house would have been empty later than usual."

"Obviously, we can rule out Yugi," Seto said, "And I'm assuming Sabrina would not have been complicit in an armed robbery on her own house. Dzam, I've known for years, but Setsuna? She's out of one of our facilities in South Korea."

"She doesn't strike me as they type but it would make sense if she knew my schedule. And where I lived."

"Until we can rule her out, let's not share any personal details with anyone on the team."

Ishizu sighed. This is their second failed attempt at getting my laptom. What if they try a third time?

"They will," Kaiba said confidently, "They've demonstrated they're willing to do bodily harm to anyone who gets in their way. I think it's safe to assume both you and Sabrina are in serious danger. The law will do what it can, but we need to take measures ourselves to keep them from getting the translation and you two from being hurt."

"What are you suggesting?" Ishizu asked.

"We have safe houses in Domino," Mokuba explained. "Our father and his father before him and run ins with the Yakuza and we have retained those houses when the occasion calls for it. We could set you up in one of these houses and give you a security detail for whenever you are not at work. Of course, you and Sabrina would not be allowed to disclose anything to anyone. At least until we are sure Coliseum is not coming back."

"And how are we going to explain all of this to Sabrina?" Just feign ignorance?"

"For now, we have to. We don't even know for sure all of this is Coliseum and what Coliseum's end game even is." Mokuba shrugged. "It makes sense that Coliseum was after your tombs and your office because they want information on Atem and the millennium items but what for?"

"They're trying to revive the shadow games as some sort of ultimate thrill experience." Seto said flatly.

Mokuba and Ishizu and looked at each other. All of the dots connected; it explained everything.

"Would anyone even believe that stuff?" Ishizu asked. "They general population isn't very accepting of the supernatural."

"You're not dealing with the general populace," Seto countered, "This is a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of the 1%. Multimillionaires and upwards who are both willing to do anything for an adrenaline rush and willing to involve themselves in illegal activities. I'm not even in that bracket. And people with that kind of money and time can get into some weird stuff; worshipping giant owls, scientology, personal psychics, the kinds of things the tabloids chock up to being eccentric. IF those kind of people will buy into things with no sense or evidence, do you think they wouldn't believe something with verifiable evidence to back it up? What happened with Yugi and Pegasus and Marik and even Atem's legacy has historical records, eyewitness testimony, weather phenomena and even destroyed property in its wake. Anyone with the time and resources could find the truth with a little digging."

"Ishizu paled. "I always thought after the Pharaoh defeated Zor my family would only be responsible for preserving Egypt's secrets for the sake of cultural preservation. Even with his destiny fulfilled, the shadow games still pose a threat to our world."

"But you at least know how to stop him," Mokuba said confidently.

The silence from the front seat was hardly reassuring. "Don't you know how to stop this?" he asked Ishizu, "You're the Egyptian expert."

"Last time this happened, Atem used his own soul to seal the power to summon monsters away. If the millennium stone is recovered and the realm of monsters is reopened, someone new is going to have to seal it with the same magic Atem did."

"Nedless to say, preventing Coliseum from reopening the seal is the preferred outcome. Not dealing with trying to reclose it." Seto said.

Ishizu held up her hand for silence as she answered her phone. "Hello. Yes. Oh good. But we can still see her? Thank you. Thank you ma'am. Have a good evening." She hung up and placed the phone back in her pocket. ' The nurses want to keep her overnight but we can still go see her. She had to get stitches and her face is pretty banged up, but no internal damage. The police already have taken her statement and will do a more thorough interview once she's released." She looked from Mokuba to Seto to see the driver loosen his death grip on the steering wheel.

"Do you know what room?" Seto asked as he pulled into the parking lot of Ootori Medical Downtown.

"301." Ishizu replied.

Seto pulled the car into a parking space and turned off the ignition.

"Ishizu, why don't you go ahead and check on her first. You can tell her Seto and I are taking a call and will be right in."

"I'll let her know about the safe house and ask about what she wants to do about her cats and belongings." Ishizu said, nodding. She unbuckled and climbed out the passenger side door. "Room 301." She reminded them before pushing the door closed.

"What is it?" Seto asked, looking at his brother in the rear-view mirror.

"A bid of girl advice from one man to another?" Mokuba asked. He waited until Seto nodded his permission before he continued. "I know you want answers and you want Coliseum to burn, but right now is not the time to grill Sabrina for answers." Seto inhaled to object, but Mokuba cut him off. "I know, I know. Wanting justice for her is admirable, but not exactly endearing. Think of this as a businessman. IF you want her to open up and be willing to answer more questions, you have to demonstrate you are interested in her. Her feelings. Time is of the essence, but if you go in now demanding answers instead of expressing concern you will ruin any chance of her seeing you as a person rather than a cold-blooded businessman."

Seto furrowed his brow before looking in the mirror again. "I can do that," Seto promised.

"Like we said before, one step at a time." Mokuba leaned forward and patted his brother on the shoulder. "Good talk."

Seto scoffed. "Thanks."

Neither of the brothers were quite prepared to see the extent of Sabrina's injuries when they walked into her room. A bruise the size of a saucer covered her left brow and temple. Four stitches sealed where the gun had struck her and the swelling prevented her from opening her left eye. Blood had pooled under her eye, the color exacerbated by her fair skin and hair. She had gash marks on her right jaw covered with butterfly closures. Seto clenched his fists but show no outward emotion.

"Heeey, look! It's my boss!" Sabrina said to Ishizu, pointing with her arm that wasn't hooked up to the IV drip. She waved them in. "I'm on some good painkillers so if I say anything weird, it's not my fault." She looked at Ishizu. "You didn't all have to come own here check on me."

"We wanted to make sure you were ok," Seto said, taking a seat in the only available chair left.

Mokuba, realizing he had been shafted huffed in displeasure, instead making himself comfortable at the foot of the hospital bed.

"I'm fine," Sabrina insisted, "It looks so much worse than it is. All I have is a mild concussion and some bruising. They're letting me go tomorrow morning."

"Nevertheless, I think it would be best you stay home at least until Tuesday." Seto insisted. I'm sure once the adrenaline wears off you'll be exhausted and in pain."

"Do you want us to contact anyone?" Mokuba offered. "Your mom, or your sister or Justin?"

"Thanks, but Ishizu is already taking care of that for me." Sabrina said.

"Has she told you about the safe house?"

Sabrina nodded. "I get why we are hiding out for a bit, but how long will it be until I can go back to living in my own house?"

Ishizu and Mokuba looked to Seto for an answer.

"Until we can guarantee Ishizu's safety, and by proxy, yours." Seto said. "We don't know how long that will be. We never meant to entangle you in any kind of harm. But now that you're a part of it, we have to take measures to keep you safe as well."

"I know. I just wish I knew why all of this was happening."

"I do too." IShizu said softly.

A nurse interrupted the conversations to do her rounds, offering to turn on the TV. For the next hour or so, the four of them watched and commented on the oddities of Japanese game shows. Technically only three of them actually participated in the dialogue, Seto spent the entire time making arrangements via text and email on his phone. By the time the show was over, the safe house was prepared, the media was barred from publishing the story and two sets of escorts were on their way to the hospital: one to escort Ishizu back to the safe house and the other to stay with Sabrina.

"I don't want to rush you out," the nurse said specifically addressing Seto as the leader, "but it is getting late and she does need to rest."

"We understand," Ishizu stood. "We don't want to wear her out." She bent over to give Sabrina a hug. "I'll be here tomorrow morning when you get released."

"Thanks, Ishizu. Be careful, ok?" Sabrina admonished.

"I will. You get some rest."

Mokuba patted her legs as he slid off the foot of the bed. "Don't worry about rushing back to work. Come back when you're ready."

"Thank you." Sabrina said, "But I won't be out for too long. There's too much to be done."

Seto wasn't ready to leave, but with his two companions waiting at the door and the nurse leering at him, he decided not to flex his ego. He gently placed his hand on Sabrina's.

"We're just glad you're ok," he said. "We were all worried about you."

Sabrina's eyes instantly filled with tears. "He held a gun in my face," she said, her voice breaking into sobs. "I honestly thought I was going to die tonight. I was so scared. I don't know why he didn't shoot me."

"Seto squeezed her hand. "I don't know why either, but what's important is you made it out alive. And that man will _never_ get the chance to lay a finger on you again. Do you understand me?"

Sabrina nodded, wiping tears away with her free hand.

"You will have a KaibaCorp security detail everywhere you go. These people, whoever they are will not get away with hurting anyone else." The look in his eyes wasn't one of confidence, but of fact. This wasn't something he thought was possible, but something he assumed to already be the case.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to freak out like that," she sniffed, "It's just so much has happened today. Seeing our project, my art, come to life for the first time. That kind of triumph followed by that kind of terror. Plus the sheer embarrassment of my one satirical piece being displayed and scrutinized by the entire team." She shook her head in disbelief, "I drove home thinking after that, my day couldn't get any worse."

"Well, ehre's to tomorrow being better. Get some rest." Seto stood, letting their hands linger together just a moment longer before saying goodbye. Ishizu and Mokuba said a final goodbye as the nurse turned off the TV and dimmed the lights for her to sleep.

The KaibaCorp guards had just arrived and were waiting at the nurses' station for orders. Ishizu was sent off with the first team, the second team was shown Sabrina's room and had their instructions, leaving the Kaiba brothers to drive themselves home.

"I'll drive." Mokuba volunteered. The words were scarcely out of his mouth before Seto threw the keys to him. The drive home was quiet as Seto used the time to catch up on all the work he had abandoned when he left early.

Rather than leave the car out front for the staff to park, Mokuba pulled the car into the vast garage on their property before killing the engine.

"There is another possibility we haven't considered." Mokuba said as Seto stowed his laptop.

"Possibility for what?" Seto asked as he remained fixed on his phone, using his free hand to pull his door open. When his brother didn't follow suit, he looked up. "What is it?"

"Sabrina might be Coliseum's man on the inside," Mokuba said, the confliction all over his face.

Seto pulled his door shut. "How?"

"Coliseum didn't become a factor until our trip to Egypt. Sabrina was on that trip. Hours after we visit Pegasus, his mansion gets broken into. Sabrina was on that trip too. Now, Ishizu's house is raided. Again, Sabrina is directly connected."

"They worked her over, Mokuba." Seto rebutted.

"Where they tortured and killed Ishizu's brothers. Why didn't the thieves just kill Sabrina and wait for Ishizu to come home and get the laptop then?"

"I don't know. If she's in on it, why didn't she just take the laptop when Ishizu was asleep or wasn't paying attention?" Seto shrugged.

"To maintain her cover?"

"If she's their inside man, that would mean she knows about their plans. About the shadow games. Are you saying you think she knows who she is…was?

Mokuba opened his mouth to answer but could see Seto was already unhappy with this conversation.

"I'm saying we don't really know her well enough, and maybe for safety reasons, we should have Ishizu hold off on anything she shares with her roommate from here on out."

Seto exhaled hard through his nostrils. "It's plausible. I don't want it to be, but it you're right. Let's discreetly inform Ishizu to not share anything with Sabrina for just added security." Seto's expression softened from anger to disappointment. "It's a bit scary to think if she is involved that she's that good of an actress. Let her own men beat her up, hold my hand and cry for our benefit."

"She is very intelligent," Mokuba said. "I'm not saying I think this is the case, but I am saying it's a possibility."

"Then we'll be careful," Seto said, "Just like everything else in this whole situation."

"Ok." Mokuba said, satisfied he had gotten what he wanted without offending his brother. He climbed out of the car with Seto close behind, a pensive look of displeasure on his face as they walked back to the main house.

He didn't want to Mokuba to be right, but kept wondering if he was.


	20. 3 meetings, 2 phone calls and 1 email

A/N: Due to my recent unemployment, I will probably be updating more frequently until I find another job. This story is going so well, I'm a little it's going to turn out better than my actual book.

As always, feedback is permitted/encouraged/requested. I'm trying to refine my technique.

"Yugi's flying back today." Mokuba mentioned as he seated himself at the dinner table. Gozaburo Kaiba had grown up poor and, upon earning his fortune, spared no expense when it came to his estate. The dinner table was stereotypical of rich western European royalty, unreasonably long and narrow, complete with the castle's king sitting at the head.

"Since when was he gone?" Seto asked, not looking out from behind his newspaper.

His brother's first instinct wasto chide his brother for not even noticing his friend's absence at the first VR test, but Seto had made progress this past week and decided to let this oversight be overlooked.

"Since he flew to New York for Tea's baby shower. I'm hoping he'll have something from Detective Wheeler he can share with us at our next meeting."

A pocket door rolled opening and a servant escorted Ishizu into the dining room. "I hope I'm not late," she said, using the empty space of the of the table to lay out a series of scrolls and set up her laptop. It had become their daily routine to meet up at Kaiba's mansion away from potential Coliseum infiltrators at work. They discussed new theories and findings over dinner and Ishizu was home before Sabrina suspected anything.

"Not late at all," Mokuba smiled as he stood to help her with her seat. "I'm assuming you'll want to eat first and open the forum after?"

"Actually, no. I found something. It's boring translation work, but it might explain what's happening now and why it's happening now."

Kaiba put his paper down, finally intrigued enough to listen.

Ishizu unrolled a scroll, using the centerpieces on the table to hold down the corners. "These are transcripts from all the wall hieroglyphs in the tombkeeper's underground lair. The further back into the chambers you go, the older the writing. Some of the glyphs are so old, we didn't have much to compare them to and left gaps in the translation. However, since the age of technology has allowed for the mass sharing of new discoveries and with an increased pool of text we can look at the whole script with fresh eyes. I went back to a section I worked on just five years ago and am realizing I may have had it all wrong."

"The whole translation?" Seto raised an eyebrow.

"Not the whole thing, but the tenses of the verbs." She indicated a certain glyph repeated throughout the scroll. "Verbs are hard to communicate via pictures so what I used to read as a punctiliar even was actually a perpetual one. Everything in this record, from the resurrections of the shadow games to the Pharaoh battling it is in present tense, when everyone assumes it was aorist."

"Break that down for two non-linguists," was Set's way of asking politely.

"When you talk about the future and you say something like: 'I want to ride in a hot air balloon.', it's clear you intend for that to be a one-time thing. A punctiliar event. But when you say: 'I want to work at KaibaCorp.', you intend for that to be an ongoing process. The thing is, both of those are indicated in the same verb tense in the old language and you can only tell them apart with contextual clues."

Seto stood and walked toward the section of the table Ishizu had set up, studying the glyphs for himself as if he understood them. "You're saying everything that happened with Atem and Zorc and the end of the world was supposed to be a perpetual thing? Atem went into the afterlife, he can't come back again. Trust me, I've looked into it."

"The writing doesn't mention Atem by name, it just says pharaoh. I use to think it was because he was literally 'the nameless pharaoh', but with the verb tenses corrected, it looks more like it's referring to the pharaoh's office, not one ruler in particular. The struggle in perpetuity would be whoever the pharaoh at the time fighting any 'dark' entity to resurrect the shadow games."

"So this is just supposed to happen every few years?" Mokuba asked.

"From what is implied in the text, every five generations, so every 125 years."

"That doesn't make any sense either. The last time this 'perpetual prophecy' manifested was ten years ago. With Yugi." Seto objected.

"I don't have an answer why it's happening again so quickly. I'll have to do more research, but regardless of why, the stage is being set. Last time the role of Pharaoh was played by Atem via Yugi, and the role of 'dark entity revitalizing the shadow games' was Zorc via Bakura. This time, the actors are different. The pharaoh would be…"

"Set." Kaiba answered for her, "And Coliseum is the antagonist?"

"If I'm right, then yes. History is repeating itself within this paradigm."

"And how are we to succeed?" He pushed off the table and began pacing, " Am I supposed to do what Atem did? Use my 'ba'," he drew out the a and added airquotes to make the concept sound more ridiculous, "to seal away the evil temporarily until I can find a way to defeat them for good even though they're going to come back in a few hundred years where my soul will be sprung loose by some hapless teenager attending Ouran Academy whose grandfather gave them a millennium item? I mean, how much like the first time around is this supposed to be?"

"The records aren't that specific, Seto," Ishizu said calmly, "Our line is sworn to protect the monarchy.

These prophecies are for my office to guide and provide aid for the pharaohs as they battle evil, not a play book for how the pharaohs are to seize their destinies."

"What does that leave us with then? Sitting around, waiting for Coliseum to make a move so we can counter it? I don't like being reactionary." Seto shook his head. He finally managed to stop pacing and lean with his back against the table."

"I don't like it either," Mokuba concurred. "If we are going to win, we have to be on the offensive."

"There are still a few things we can do to keep their organization at bay." Ishizu promised. "They don't know about the prophecy. They don't have the first-hand experience we do with the shadow games. We can sit on this information and use it to our advantage. And for that reason," She pulled an external hard drive from her purse. "All of the translations are now off my computer and any cloud storage. They're here and only here, and only the three of us know that. I'd like to give them to you for safe-keeping. I will only have physical copies of the untranslated portions of the underground chambers and will translate them in fragments, only uploading them here."

"That's the most secure you can have it while still working on it," Mokuba assured her. "We'll keep in in one of our safes to ensure its protection."

Ishizu handed the hard drive to Seto. "It would be best if you didn't know what was on the drive, in case you are at any point captured or interrogated by these people."

"Kidnapping is Mokuba's area of expertise. I'll make sure neither of us access or share this information."

"Thank you."

A servant stepped in sheepishly, looking to Mokuba silently for permission to announce dinner. Mokuba nodded, waving her in. Behind her, a string of three more servants entered setting food at the end of the table the brothers and their guest would be eating, remaining careful not to stray too far down to see what they were working on. Seto had instilled in them a healthy fear of prying into business matters.

"Yugi will be with us at our next meeting. Hopefully, he'll have something from Joey he can share." Mokuba said as dinner was winding down.

"Good," Ishizu commented, her phone jingled. "Oh, it's Sabrina. I'd better get going before she gets suspicious." She stood hastily, laying her napkin beside her plate. "Thank you for the dinner, it was delicious. Please give my compliments to the chef," she said as she gathered her things from the other end of the table.

Mokuba stood to follow her. "I'll walk you to your car," he offered.

"Oh. Thank you," Ishizu smiled, "I guess I'll see you again on Monday, Seto."

"Have a good weekend," Seto said, forcing himself to engage in the pleasantries of saying goodbye, though he stayed at his seat rather than stand to see her off. He finished his dinner and then retired to his office before his brother returned.

There was no pressing work to be done, but his fingers drummed on the desk calendar as they sought for something productive to do. He was not accustomed to being idle and very much didn't like the sensation.

He found his violin. It took time to tune but the effort was relaxing. Placing it under his chin, he played. No specific tune in particular, just letting his fingers find the notes and move about to regain some of their old dexterity. He wondered if Sabrina played any instruments, but immediately chastised himself mentally for letting his thoughts stray to her. She might very well be working against them. She didn't particularly like him, and she already had a boyfriend.

A knock interrupted his random overtures. "Come." He permitted entrance.

"I was thinking again," Mokuba said, poking his head in.

"Should I put on a helmet?" Seto asked with a quiet laugh, setting the violin down.

"No, but it's about Sabrina and our little problem. He seated himself in the leather chair opposite the desk.

"What's your idea?" Seto asked.

"If we suspect Sabrina is an agent for Coliseum sent to gather information and cause havoc, why not test the theory? Remove her from the equation and see if Ishizu is targeted again or if Coliseum gains any more information. If cutting Sabrina off also cuts off the suspicious activities, we'll know it's her. If they persist, we can clear her of any wrongdoing."

"And how do you suggest we remove her from the equation?"

"She's still injured. You can order her to stay home or to work from home."

"That still puts her in the same house as Ishizu. Would that really keep her out of the way?"

Mokuba thought. "You could relocate her. Try to get her at one of our offices in the states. She'll probably say yes to be closer to her mom and her boyfriend."

Seto frown, doubting. "She was willing to move away from them, and if we pull her off this big project, won't it look suspicious. I do like the idea of removing her from the equation to see if things even out, but if we don't do it carefully, they'll know we're onto her or arouse the suspicion of whoever is actually involved. Let me think about it for a bit, and I'll let you know when I have a solution I think will work."

"Yeah, just let me know." He waved a goodbye as he headed out, closing the door behind him.

The truth was, Kaiba already had a solution in mind, but he knew his younger brother wasn't going to like it, because he didn't particularly like it either.

Balthazar Nmir had had just about enough with the yappy American on the other end of the phone. He held the receiver away from his ear just to give himself a break, much to Maple's displeasure.

"You told me your men were prefessionals! You promised me no one would get hurt!" the voice on the phone said with an accusatory tenor. "You gave me every assurance, Mr. Nmir. Every assurance! I was under the impression that Coliseum was a reputable organization that was able to deliver on its promises! I hope you're prepared to reimburse my girlfriend for the injuries she sustained or I swear you mutamaddid xawalaat…" Balthazar hung up the phone.

"He sounds like a dissatisfied customer," Maple mused without looking up from her laptop."

"He can get over it. It's not like he was a paying customer here," Nmir retorted. He noticed the light on his phone blinking, indicating he had a call waiting on another line. "Do you know who's on like two?"

"Brian Harker, if you're ready for that headache."

Nmir swore under his breath in Arabic. He picked up the receiver again, exhaled deeply and pushed the button to connect the call. "This had better be good news," he growled.

"I can guarantee it's the best news you've heard all day even though it's not the news you were hoping for."

The Egyptian sat back in his chair, rubbing his brown. "You didn't get the laptop, did you?" he half asked, half snarled.

"Nope," the Irishman replied cheerily. "And ore likely than not, we've blown our chances of ever getting since now Miss Ishtar knows what it is we're after."

"And yet you have the audacity to claim you have good news?"

"I found one of the dragons."

Balthazar sat up, fully attentive. "The eye works?"

"The eye works."

"And do you have the dragon with you now?"

"In a manner of speaking. It's the lawyer's girlfriend, the one who works for KaibaCorp. She will certainly be under closer surveillance now, but she won't be going anywhere anytime soon. We can collect her at our leisure and when we are more prepared to, how shall we say it, contain, what's inside her."

"I think I got it!" Maple said with the excitement of the success of a major breakthrough. She looked up from her perch on the conference table surprised to see Mr. Nmir smiling.

"Well, Mr. Harker, I hate to cut you short, but I've other matters to attend. Keep a close eye on our new asset."

"That won't be too difficult of a task."

Balthazar could hear the smirk on his face from ten thousand miles away. "Keep me posted," he ordered before hanging up.

"Did he win the lottery or something?" Maple asked, "You are never that happy with the mick."

"In a manner of speaking, yes we did hit the jackpot," Balthazar said, "It's almost as if Fate herself is smiling upon us. Now, let's see if this software of yours actually works."

Set sat in his home office with his arms crossed. Twice, his hands reached to his phone to page his secretary but restrained himself. The third time though he followed through, disgusted with himself. He'd found Pegasus' private number in the KaibaCorp's private registry, staring at it for fifteen minutes before dialing on his landline office phone, sighing as the dialtone turned to dull ringing in the earpiece.

"Hello," came the modulated yet upbeat tone of the Industrial Illusions CEO.

Seto had to push down a small wave of nausea before speaking. "Pegasus, it's Seto Kaiba!"

"I know."

"I would like to make you an offer. One I believe will benefit everyone involved."

"Hmmmm…" Pegasus mused, "Why do I get the distinct impression this is not about the licensing the next generation of Duel Monsters cards?"

"Because this isn't a normal business call." Seto had to take a deep breath. His ever-nonchalant attitude always made Pegasus difficult to talk to. "I was hoping you could hire away one of my best graphic artists…just to avoid any trouble."

"What kind of trouble are we talking?"

"The kind Yugi and I keep getting into," Seto replied vaguely in case either line was tapped. "I fear we are putting her in an unwarrant amount of danger here. Coliseum has targeted members of my team and I don't want her to keep getting caught in the cross fire. Her house was robbed, she was assaulted and I fell it is in her best interest if she were to receive a generous offer to work for Industrial Illusions.

"I can assume then we are talking about the Kisara in this scenario."

"About Sabrina Harrison, yes," Seto felt the urge to correct him. "She's a brilliant artist and would be an asset to your team. I've sent you an email with pieces of her work, both on screen and paper."

"You know who I meant, Kaiba," Pegasus chided, "But I must ask, what makes you think she'd want to come work for me in the first place?"

Seto stiffened in his chair. 'Because…because she admires you a great deal, and you know it. She told me once you inspired her to pursue her artistic career and were the closest thing she had to a hero."

"She was quite enamored with me, wasn't she?" Pegasus asked smugly.

"Seeing as I can't exactly fire her without suspicion, I concluded the best way to quietly get her away from Domino and KaibaCorp was an enticing job offer from her dream employer." Seto said, trying to keep the conversation on track, "You would get a valuabe asset to your team, I would get her out of harm's way and she would be back home, working for her long-time inspiration. Everyone wins."

"It sounds like you have everything planned out. However, you haven't factored in the issue that Miss Harrison is a liability. How can you guarantee to me that whatever 'trouble' she is gravitating won't follow her to Industrial Illusions?"

"Frankly, I can't. Which is why I am prepared to off you however much you choose to offer Sabrina to sign on with your company plus any damages should she incur any after transitioning over."

"I'm looking at the portfolio you sent me. Her work is incredible…and you're going to reimburse me whatever amount I pay her? Benefits and all?"

"Every penny," Kaiba promised.

"My, my, Seto Kaiba. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you cared about this girl. I daresay you've grown up. However, as I am not in the market for another graphic artist at the moment. I'm not sure I could accommodate her."

"Don't play coy with me. I saw how you were with her while we were in New York. You clearly enjoyed her professional conversation and the kind of attention she was giving you."

"Certainly," Pegasus scoffed. "She's a young, talented, and might I add, very attractive woman. Who wouldn't enjoy that? Besides you, of course."

"And yet, despite all the likeable things about her you don't want to bring her into your team?"

Pegasus chuckled. "More I'm reluctant to indulge you, Seto Kaiba. Despite how professional you wish to sound, what you are in fact doing is asking me for a favor. With our history, with how you've acted toward me in the past month alone, why would I ever want to do you a favor?"

"Because if you do this for me, I will ow you. And you know I make good on keeping my ledgers balanced."

A short silence was followed by a suppressed laugh as Pegasus processed the subtleties of Kaiba's desperation. "A year ago, you would have fired a woman who might be in some kind of danger without any explanation, even if it was for her own good. Now, look at you, asking your own nemesis for help, just to keep some girl who may never return your feelings safe. I'm touched, really. I een thought for a moment there you were going to say please, but…"

"Please," Seto cut him off.

"I beg your pardon?" It was genuine shock in his tone, but not displeasure.

"Please, for her sake, offer her a position at Industrial Illusions and get her out of Coliseum's reach, and I will do whatever you want for compensation on top of the financial reimbursement."

"Before I agree to this, you know for certain that Coliseum is not targeting her specifically?"

"We're certain. The thief who gave Sabrina a black eye was looking for Ishizu Ishtar's laptop. There was a translation on it they want. Sabrina was just the unfortunate roommate who happened to stumble on the crime."

"What kind of text?"

Seto immediately regretted giving too many details. "I don't know much, It's a codex of all the duties and ceremonies of the tombkeeper's office."

"Does Coliseum know she's the blue eyes white dragon?"

Seto inhaled sharply. "We're not even sure she's the blue eyes white dragon. We just know she's Kisara. Her ka might have remained with her soul when it reincarnated, it might not have. Even Ishizu isn't sure how all of this works."

"I see. Very well. I will invite Miss Harrison to an interview and offer her a considerable sum to sign to join my art team. I can't guarantee she'll say yes, though."

"She has no reason not to."

"For my own sake, I hope you're right." Pegasus disconnected the line, sparing Kaiba of having to thank him.

He took a few deep breaths before smiling to himself, leaning on his desk and steepling his fingers. He was still a master at maintaining control.

Much like his older brother, Mokuba enjoyed watching people. He took note of the way people walked or sat, but unlike his brother, who only used it as a means to read and manipulate people, Mokuba enjoyed the human aspect of it. Sitting in the cafeteria, he could tell which individuals loved their work, which were tired, which where sleeping together, and it was all beautiful to watch. He took not with the energy Sabrina entered the seating area that day. She was conversing congenially with Karen, despite the bruising on her face only partially healed. The blood had dried from a deep purple to a wine red; the stitches gone but the scar still bright pink. Still, she had something extra, something Mokuba hadn't seen in her since that night they'd gone to Times Square a few months back. Whatever it was, he was happy for her.

After he'd moved on to observing other members of the Project Dawn team, Sabrina appeared before him, a printed paper in hand.

"Tell me honestly. Is this your doing?" She said, unable to suppress her smile.

Mokuba furrowed his brow but smiled back. "What?"

She handed him the paper, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet as Mokuba read, his demeanor quickly changing from sympathetic excitement to concealed rage. It was an email addressed to her from the personal email address of Maximillian Pegasus.

'Dear Miss Harrison,

I recall our conversation a few months back when you mentioned you were fond of Broadway Musicals. As it so happens, I was gifted with two box seat tickets to the Minskoff Theatre's production of _The Lion King_ and immediately thought of you. The date of the production is April 3 (one week from tomorrow) and I would be honored to escort you to dinner before and an evening on the town afterwards and can even provide you with transportation as my sponsored Duel Monster's team is in Tokyo for a tournament and will be returning to New York two days before the performance. I'm sure they wouldn't mind one extra person on the private jet. Please accept my humble invitation by responding with your personal information so I can add you to the flight manifest immediately.

I look forward to seeing you again soon.

Love,

Max

P.S. I also have heard you are something of an artist and would love to see some of your work if you wouldn't mind bringing it with you. M.P. '

"When did you get this?" Mokuba asked, handing the paper back to her quickly.

"This morning!" She giggled. "And you didn't set this up? Or Seto?"

"No. Why?"

"I don't know," Sabrina sat across from him, but barely touching the seat. "I just figured Mr. Pegasus would have already forgotten someone like me. But you, and Seto. You have connections. It just seemed like a nice…brotherly thing you'd do for a sister, and I knew Seto would never do anything like this, but I figured if anyone was going to do something super cool for me, it'd be you."

Mokuba was dumfounded. "I…no…we…We don't really keep in touch with Pegasus that much. I think you just must have made that much of an impression on him."

Her eyes lit up, almost glowing with excitement. "Really?"

The younger Kaiba wanted to snatch the printout from her hands, tear it to shreads and tell her what kind of man Maximillian Pegasus was but forced himself to smile for her sake…for his sister's sake. It was weird thinking of her as a sister, but she evidently thought of him as a brother. Did she see Seto as a brother as well?

"Apparently so," He finally eeked out. "Go. Have a good time. I think you should still be at home recovering anyway."

"Thank you!" she said, pushing herself out of the chair. "I'll be sure to take lots of pictures and tell you all about it. Did you read the part where he said he 'immediately thought of me'?"

"Yes I did," Mokuba replied with no enthusiasm.

"I have to go, my lunch is over, but I'm going to Broadway!" She let out a tiny, feminine squeal of excitement Mokuba could have sworn only mice and other rodents could produce. She clearly wanted to talk about it more but the clock forced her to skip away back to the elevators and return to her floor to work.

Mokuba looked down at the rest of his food, his appetite completely gone.

He was too angry to eat.

Seto had elected to eat in his office, ordering his food delivered via elevator. He had to work out rearranging the VR testing floor to allow the Project Dawn team the access he promised him while still allowing the other projects to remain on schedule.

"Mr. Kaiba, you're plate's here," Yui's voice said through the intercom.

"Thank you, Yui. Send her in."

The door opened, but the usual foodservice employee was replaced with his younger brother, wearing an expression that indicated he knew. Mokuba tersely placed the food on his desk. The brothers stared at each other, engaging in another silent battle of wills.

"You didn't have to sneak in like this," Seto finally said.

"I didn't have an appointment," Mokuba countered.

"I knew you wouldn't like it, but you have to trust me." Seto said, getting straight to the point.

"Like you trusted me enough to run it by me first? Seto, you said you'd let me know when you had a solution!"

"And I knew you'd strike it down the second I suggested it because it's Pegasus and you hate him."

"Oh, you don't?" The lividity in Mokuba's voice was evident now.

"I wouldn't send him a Christmas card, but right now he's our best bet to do everything we want accomplished. If Sabrina goes back to the states, she'll meet up with Pegasus and want to stay there. He's prepared to offer her a job and a significant signing bonus, enticing enough she'd actually consider it. Industrial Illusions has information that Coliseum wants, and if she's working for Coliseum and that information is leaked? Well, better them than us."

"And if she isn't?"

"Then she's out of harm's way. Either way, it's best for us."

Mokuba pursed his lips, taking a few breaths to calm himself down. "You're right, but I don't like it." He said. "I don't trust him, Seto. He plays dirty."

"I know. But for now, we're taking it one step at a time. Isolate Sabrina. Observe the difference. Go from there."

Mokuba nodded, pacing the floor of the office until he had finally calmed down enough to return his breathing to normal. When he was ready, he headed to the door, looking over his shoulder to make one last remark before he left.

"If he lays a finger on my sister, I'm going to kill him." He said sincerely.

"And if you do, I will help you destroy the body." His brother replied with equal sincerity.

Mokuba smiled as he left. He knew deep down that he and his brother would always have each other's backs.


	21. Overwhelmed

With the instillation of the liquid helium coolant system, Dzam and Setsuna were give free reign to run endless tests. Setsuna was thrilled at the chance to keep the enviornment on and running until every detail was perfect. The team was worked to exhaustion, but perfection was achieved.

The textures were perfect.

The lighting was perfect.

The PC to NPC interaction was perfect.

The coloring and shading were perfect.

All that was needed now, was the integration of the story.

Setsuna worked closely with the two SME's and Karin for the next few weeks, giving the rest of the team a break from their taskmaster's relentless tests. With the three girls working so closely together, Sabrina felt a little left out. To console her, the other three girls from the away team decided to take their lunch with Sabrina.

"I don't know why you're jealous," Karin said, pointing at Sabrina with her fork, "With you having all the adventures, it's more like you're the one leaving us out."

"A strange man broke into my house and hit me in the head with a gun. That's not an adventure, Karin. That's a crime."

"Yeah, but getting flown in to go on an expensive date with Maximillian Pegasus is clearly in the adventure category," Setsuna countered as she sat down with her tray.

"It wasn't a date. Not really." Sabrina's face fell.

"No, no, no, no, no," Karin swung her fork in objection, "No man, however ridiculously wealthy, would get two tickets to one of the most expensive Broadway shows, which by the way, is always sold out, offer to fly a girl he's only met once across the globe to spend the evening with him and have the audacity to call it anything but a date."

"Did she not mention the part where she got to go backstage and have her program signed by the entire cast?" Ishizu said between sips of her tea.

"No, she did not!"

"Listen! It wasn't a date!" Sabrina said, raising her voice, her face turning red. The other three fell silent as she took a few breaths and lowered her voice. "Max…Mr. Pegasus was trying to head hunt me."

Karin gasped.

"He offered you a job?" Setsuna asked.

"You didn't mention that to me." Ishizu said.

Sabrina leaned in to whisper, the other three followed suit creating a conspicuous huddle.

"He wants me to come and do the art for his trading cards. He asked me to bring some samples of my art. I thought it was just because he was interested in me, but he was actually looking at hiring me away from KaibaCorp."

"I thought Pegasus himself did the art. Doesn't he paint them by hand?" Ishizu asked.

"The concept art, yes, but most of the art that makes its way onto the actual cards is the work of another artist who just uses his artwork as a baseline. And he offered me twice what I make here to do it."

Three mouths collectively dropped open.

"He must really want you." Karin said.

"Are you going to take it? Have you told Dzam or either of the Kaiba brothers?" Ishizu asked.

"I don't know what to do. This project is so much fun, and I've loved the chance to get to work on something big, and getting to make new friends was awesome, but…New York is a lot closer to home, and Justin." Sabrina tossed her arms in frustration and sat back. "He said he'd wait 'until I was ready' but I don't know how long he really means."

"Well, we'll certainly miss you if you go. But we'll keep in touch," Karin said, a tinge of sadness in her voice.

"I haven't told anyone, so please don't tell Dzam or legal yet."

Setsuna leaned on her elbows. "Chances like this don't come along very often, Sabrina. Just remember, if it sounds too good to be true…" she raised her eyebrow, not even needing to finish the idiom.

"I know, that's why I'm taking my time to make up my mind."

"Take all the time you need." Setsuna focused on Karin and Ishizu. but you two need to hurry up. We have an environment to perfect." Setsuna replied.

"Yes, master," Karin said, sarcastically. "When we're done are you going to make us construct a pyramid in your honor?"

"If I want a pyramid I'll wait until we get an engineering team on board to actually build the holodeck."

The girls laughed. Finishing with their lunch, the three left Sabrina to finish her lunch alone.

"I'll see you tonight." Ishizu said as they passed her again after dropping off their trays.

"And we'll plan a girls' night out sometime." Karin promised.

Ishizu and Sabrina looked at each other, knowing that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

"Can you hear what they're saying?" Seto asked.

Mokuba waved at him to keep his voice down. He was sitting with his back facing them but was straining his ears to gather any information he could. "I got nothing."

"And they're leaving," Seto shook his head in disappointment. "Did you hear her say anything about leaving to work at Industrial Illusion?"

"I couldn't hear, they were whispering," Mokuba said, stabbing his salad angrily, "And all she talked about with me was how wonderful the time was." He rolled his eyes. "Broadway, Lion King was amazing, I have to see it. Here, look at this picture of a middle-aged criminal mastermind with his arm around my waist. Look, we're making funny faces, isn't he just the greatest?" he said in a mocking tone of voice.

"So she didn't mention the interview to you?"

"Not a word. She probably thinks Pegasus did it without your knowledge."

"Welp. No point staying here anymore," Seto placed his tray under Mokuba's. "If you take the trays back I'll grab us both coffee and we can ride up to legal together."

"On it." Mokuba said, swiping both trays to return them to the kitchen. Seto stopped at the coffee bar and poured two coffees, one black for himself and another with 4 creams and 4 sugars for his younger brother. He passed Karin, Setsuna and Ishizu as they stood waiting for the elevator to come, nodding politely at them as he passed. Luckily, his brother caught up in time to press the call button on the elevator for him before taking his coffee.

"It's hot," Seto warned.

"I'd be upset if it wasn't," Mokuba said as the elevator door began to slide shut.

Both were looking down, sipping their coffee when the door stopped and slid back open. By the time they'd both looked up, Sabrina was inside the elevator holding down the 'door close' button.

"You looking forward to being stuck inside an elevator with me, again?" Seto asked as the elevator close and began ascending.

"I'm not stuck in here with you, you two are stuck in here with me." She found the emergency stop and pressed in, bringing the carriage to lurching halt.

Mokuba was able to keep a grip on his coffee, but Seto's sloshed out, pouring down his front and staining his dress shirt. Seto flicked the excess liquid off his hands before handing the mostly empty cup to Mokuba to hold.

"What is wrong with you?" Seto demanded.

"What aren't you telling me? About Coliseum?" Sabrina demanded back.

Seto furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. He was admittedly a good actor. "We haven't heard from Coliseum since Egypt. What is this about?"

"You're lying!" she leaned in, raising her voice. "I know. I know you are hiding something. I know Coliseum had something to do with Ishizu's brothers getting killed. I know they are the ones looking for her laptop, and I know they're the ones who robbed Pegasus' mansion."

"Did 'Max' tell you that while you were in New York?" Seto countered.

"No. He said it was someone in the Irish mob."

"And the conclusion you drew from that is our away team is embroiled with some nefarious organization that we are deliberately keeping from our employees."

"No." Sabrina folded her arms. "There's something I told the police but didn't tell you two. Or Ishizu. About the night I was assaulted. He had a fake eye. Not glass; gold."

Seto's expression changed. He closed his eyes and exhaled. "Egyptian."

Without warning, Sabrina reached up, gripping Seto in the jaw and pulling it downwards. "Do you know what he did? He grabbed my face just like this and held me this close and made me look him in the eye. I felt something happening, like he was looking into my mind." When Seto tried to pull free, she dug her nails in. "I tried pulling away too: that's why I have nail marks all over my jaw. And then you know what he did? He laughed and said his boss was going to give him a raise. He let me live because his boss sees me as valuable."

Seto held her gaze. Her icy blue angry and confused. "I'm sorry. You must have been terrified." he said sincerely. Sabrina angrily dropped her grip, releasing his jaw and letting him return to his full height.

"When I was doing concept sketches, this eye symbol kept coming up, but not just in the Egyptian pictures. Yugi had a necklace with this eye on it once. Didn't he?"

"Yes, it was a relic his grandfather gave him from a dig." Seto explained.

"And Max used to have a fake eye that looked the exact same."

"He did." Seto didn't see any point in trying to deflect her questions.

"What? Are you all part of some weird cult?"

"No, Sabrina…" Mokuba tried to interject but was met with two sets of steely blue glares. This was a private dispute and his input was not going to be tolerated.

"Do you know why their boss sees me as valuable?"

"Yes." Seto said flatly. "But you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Does that mean you're not going to tell me?"

Seto and Mokuba looked at each other. Mokuba gave his brother a slight nod before he spoke. "I think it's time you knew, but there's not enough time here," Seto said. "Why don't you come to our estate for dinner tonight. Ishizu and Yugi are going to be there and I think it will be easier to explain if all four of us could answer your questions."

"Why can't you just explain it now?" she frowned. "How do I know you won't just have your butler turn me away at the door when I get there?"

"Because I'm promising you, we'll tell you the truth." Mokuba finally spoke up.

Sabrina went quiet for a few moments. "I'll be there. But I swear, if you lie to me or leave anything out, the press will know Gozaburo Kaiba has three kids and not two."

"We're not going to pull one over on you," Seto assured her. He reached over to the elevator pushing the emergency stop button, setting the carriage back into motion. "Dinner is at six-thirty. We'll let you off at the ground floor."

Sabrina looked both ways before exiting the elevator, ensuring no one she knew had seen her. She calmly walked to the other elevator and pushed the button, refusing to speak or even look in the direction of the brothers as the doors closed on them.

Neither of them was looking forward to dinner anymore.

Five o'clock could not come quickly enough for Yugi. When he arrived at the Kaiba's estate, Seto was still at work and Mokuba was holed up in the library, nestled in his giant bean bag chair.

"You know dinner isn't until six thirty, right?" Mokuba said after dismissing a rather nervous Butler.

"Yes, but I didn't want to wait on this. Joey got information on Coliseum and it actually puts names to faces."

"That's awesome; that's the leg up we need right now!" Mokuba said, setting his book down. He patted a section of the bean bag chair, bidding Yugi to sit.

"Oh, no," Yugi said, waiving the offer, "If sit down in one of those, there's no way I'm getting back up."

"Yugi, that's what servants are for. Now, come one." He made some attempt at moving over in the bean bag that accomplished nothing as Yugi gingerly sat down, the chair contouring to the lower half of his body. "We have plenty of time before dinner. Relax. Get comfortable. Tell me about your trip."

Yugi exchanged a few details of his travels. Tea was starting to show, but looked radiant as ever. Serenity came to the shower: she and Tristan were doing fine. Americans go crazy on baby showers and spend all kinds of money. Joey was terrified and excited to become a father, but was seemingly handling it well.

"What did you get from Detective Wheeler?" Mokuba asked when the conversation began winding down.

"Joey has a friend in organized crime who has been following the Irish Mob for awhile and even handled Pegasus' robbery case. He raided a very prominent boss's offices and found a payroll." He reached his arm to grab the briefcase he'd set down, craning his arm over awkwardly to reach for it. After a solid minute of struggling, he finally gripped the handle and settled back into the cushy blob. "Names and amounts, but it's all on paper, nothing electronic, not even money transfers. Everything is doled out in person and in cash, but we at least have a direction to go. From what Joey tells me, some of these men are prominent business owners or politicians." He opened the briefcase and passed Mokuba several pages that were photocopied from a retro style ledger. "Joey and I were hoping we could trace some of the transactions to people in Coliseum since we know they're one of the mob's clients."

Mokuba looked the list over. "I recognize two names on this list from businesses KaibaCorp has had dealings with in the past and…" he stopped on the second page. "Nevermind, three names." He handed the list back to Yugi visibly shaken.

"Something wrong?"

"Yes. Me." Mokuba replied. "I've got to get this to Seto, before dinner." He made a feigned attempt to climb out of the sunk in cushion, but ended up calling for Butler's assistance to pull him out.

"Is my brother back yet?" Mokuba asked the manservant.

"Not yet, sir."

"When he gets home, will you let him know Yugi and I are waiting in his office concerning a very urgent matter."

Butler nodded. "Indeed, sir."

"You planning on sharing this urgent matter?" Yugi asked as he followed Mokuba into his older brother's private study.

"Not with the staff in earshot."

Once the door was shut on the office, Mokuba extended his hand, silently asking for the list again which Yugi graciously handed over. Using a highlighter from Seto's desk, he marked the names of everyone he recognized. Five in all by the end of the document. When he was finished, he flipped back to the second page and showed the highlighted name to Yugi.

"Does this name ring any bells to you?" he asked.

Yugi thought. "Justin Hayes….no. Was he an American duelist or something?"

Mokuba laughed nervously. "Oh, no. Think more recent. You've never met him, but I'm sure you've heard someone talking about a Justin."

Yugi had to think for a few minutes until the name registered. "Sabrina's lawyer boyfriend." A moment later, all the dots connected. "This is how…this is where Coliseum got its information."

Mokuba nodded. "I suspected Sabrina as the leak, and in one sense of the term I was right, but it didn't account for everything. This does. He's been using Sabrina to siphon off sensitive information to the project and our personal lives, and Sabrina probably doesn't even know it. This is going to be fun explaining on top of everything else tonight."

"Whoa, you're telling her tonight?"

"Yeah, Seto invited her to dinner." Mokuba sat sideways in the armchair facing Seto's desk. "She figured out half of it. Seto figured she'd be better off knowing everything at this point."

The office door opened as Seto strode in quickly, stopping when he saw Yugi had already arrived. "Butler said it was urgent."

Mokuba handed him the short stack of papers. "Joey Wheeler got us a ledger of people in connection with the Irish Mob."

Seto looked the list over, noting the highlighted names. "You think we can connect some of these to Col…no." He slumped down in the other armchair.

"Sadly, yes." Yugi replied.

"It's bad enough having to explain everything else, but her boyfriend too?"

"We could not tell her," Mokuba suggested. "We could keep her in the dark, feed her false information for her to unwittingly pass along. It might be the best way."

"No. I won't lie to her anymore," Seto said. "Now that the secret is out, lying to her any further won't look like we're protecting her but that we view her as a pawn. That's what Coliseum is doing, and we're better than them." He let out a long, exasperated sigh. "The girls are going to be here any minute. We should go. Get this over with."

The trio made their way from the office to the dining room where the staff were prepping to serve. Ishizu arrived shortly thereafter and Sabrina last.

Dinner was not so much awkward as hauntingly silent. Glares were exchanged, but not words, and not even Yugi attempted to lighten the mood by starting conversation.

"We will be retiring to the lounge this evening," Seto said to Butler once the tables had been cleared.

"Very good, sir. If you will follow me."

The group was escorted to a small room with furniture based around a coffee table. While the weather was not particularly cold, Butler started a fire in the fireplace to create some ambience as coffee was served.

Mokuba took a gamble and sat on the couch next to Sabrina. "It's ok," he whispered, "I just found out about most of this stuff a few months ago."

Sabrina surprised him by grabbing his hand and squeezing it. "I don't know why, but I'm afraid. And angry."

"I get it. Just…trust us, ok? Not everything is going to be easy to believe or hear, but it is the truth."

Sabrina nodded and muttered something of a reply.

"We promised we'd tell you everything, and that's going to take a while," Seto said, "but I think the answer you're looking for right now is why Coliseum sees you as valuable, is it not?"

"Yes." She replied emphatically.

"And the best way I can explain it to you is that your soul is of value to them. Not necessarily who you are, but who you were."

Sabrina narrowed her eyes at him. "And who exactly was I?"

"Kisara."

The name resonated with her. "I've heard that name before."

"When we had dinner with Pegasus, yes. The white dragon."

They started at the beginning and told her everything that occurred ten years ago. From the archaeological finds to Yugi to Yami to Pegasus to Marik to Bakura to the past Bakura. While Seto was the primary storyteller, Yugi had to fill in the gaps on events for which he was not present and Ishizu provided any background information on Egypt and the ancient times. After three hours of recounting events, they finally caught up to Coliseum and their intentions.

"If they want to re-invent the shadow games, they will be collecting people who have a 'ka' contained in their body. Yours of course is very powerful and no doubt, Coliseum will want to use you to fight, just as Aknadin did."

"And Aknadin was your father?" Sabrina asked for clarification.

"Set's father, yes. Whoever it was that broke into your house used the Eye to see into your mind. They probably saw Kisara's memories and deduced who you were."

Sabrina fell silent, confusion in her eyes as she tried to process everything she was hearing. "This is crazy." She finally said aloud.

"We know." Yugi said. "And when we talk about it, it sounds even crazier, but…"

"Things are falling into place." Sabrina cut him off. "Ever since we went to Egypt, since that day we went on the tour of the old city I've had dreams and they were so vivid."

"I know." Seto said quietly, "I had them too. So did Yugi."

"I thought it was because we were so vehemently studying Egypt and Duel Monsters that the two just fused and gave me some trippy dreams, but now…they're not dreams. They're memories."

"Seeing Egypt like that probably awoke something inside us, yes."

"And now, what?"

"Actually, there's more," Yugi said as he stood to approach her. "Coliseum has connections to the Irish Mob: the people who robbed Pegasus." He handed her the ledger. "My friend Joey was able to a list of clients from a known mobster and we found this." He handed her the stack of papers. She spotted her boyfriend's name almost immediately.

"This can't be him," Sabrina countered. "Do you know how many Justin Hayses there are in America?"

"Sabrina, do you tell Justin everything?" Ishizu asked calmly.

"Of course, I tell him everything," Sabrina replied defensively.

"Even when you and your roommate would be working late and probably wouldn't be home?"

Sabrina put her head in her hands as it began to sink in.

"It can't be just a coincidence," Ishizu continued, "Everywhere you have been, Coliseum has known inside information, New York, Luxor, even here in Domino."

"I told him I couldn't call him that day because I'd be working late. I told him about Ishizu living with me; that's how they knew where she was?"

"Probably," Mokuba said, "He's been using you to get to KaibaCorp."

"I can't believe he used me! He doesn't know about all this nutty stuff, does he?"

None of the other four could give her an answer.

"My guess is no," Mokuba said. "He was probably just using you as someone hired in at KaibaCorp, not someone connected to the shadow games to pass along information to his contacts in Coliseum."

"Where do we go from here, then?" Sabrina asked. "You say that the end of the world is at stake and Coliseum is literally going to let mythical creatures loose on the planet. What happens now?"

"Now you help us fight," Ishizu said simply. "It is clear to me this is destined to be Seto's fight ultimately. Atem was the pharaoh who fought for the last cycle, Set will be the pharaoh for this one. And you, as his dragon has been summoned to come to his aid. We work together. We stop them. We save the world."

"I…Ishizu, I don't know if this is what I want," she replied. "This all gets dumped on me in one day and you want me to just decide to help you fight monsters and criminal organizations?"

"If you want out, we understand," Seto said, "You can take the job offer Pegasus gave you and go back to the States and never come back to Domino. We've all dealt with the Shadow Games before, even Mokuba to some small degree, but if this is too much for you, no one would fault you for feeling like you're in over your head."

"I'd like some time to think about this."

"We're here for you if you have any questions." Yugi said.

"I was actually wondering if I might have a word with Seto, alone."

"Sure, we'll give you the room," Mokuba said, nodding to the other two. Before he stood, Sabrina grabbed his sleeve. "I get now why you have such a disdain for Maximillian Pegasus, and I'm sorry. You have every right to be."

"I know that." Mokuba replied. He was the last out the door and closed it behind them.

"I also now get why Mokuba and Yugi try to matchmake the two of us and make it look like happenstance." Sabrina said as she moved to the cushion closest to Seto's chair, leaning over the arm. Seto leaned forward to meet her.

"Did you know who I was?" she asked.

"There was no doubt. You look exactly like her. The day you walked into my office it was like looking at ghost."

"What does all this mean about the two of us? Have we been reunited because we're destined to end up together or something?"

"I asked the exact same question. I don't know."

"You don't know? You cradled me while I died. We were lovers."

"Not us. Them. And honestly, they were never even lovers. Not truly. Kisara died before either of them could act on their feelings. They never even kissed."

"But we are them!" She realized she was raising her voice, lowering it again to just above a whisper. "At least to some degree, right?"

Seto sighed. "This is why I didn't want to tell you," he muttered under his breath. "Look, I don't believe in destiny the same way Ishizu does. Destiny might guide our choices, but it doesn't override them. You're not…stuck with me if that's what you're wondering."

"That is not…wow, that is not what I meant," Sabrina shook her head, trying to find the right words to say, "I didn't think I'd be 'stuck with you'. I just…don't know what all of this means. I'm trying to make sense of all the memories in my head."

"I've had ten years and I still can't sort it all out." He leaned back. "Give it time, let it sink in."

"How did you handle hearing all of this for the first time?" She rested her head on her elbow.

"I didn't," Seto said. "I just denied it. I refused to accept that it was possible for people's souls to get pulled out of their bodies and that anything supernatural was going on. Ishizu said it was because I didn't have enough faith, but, can you blame me?"

"No. Not at all."

They talked for awhile after, their voices growing quieter and quieter as Yugi and Mokuba strained harder and harder to hear what they were saying at the door.

"Do you think she'll stay, or go back to America?" Ishizu asked.

"I don't know," Mokuba whispered. "Depends on how she takes everything she's heard today. I mean, I hope she stays, but I wouldn't be surprised if she bolts the first chance she gets."

"I'll see if I can talk to her more when she gets home, if she wants to." She yawned. "I guess I'll head home now. It's pretty late." She waited a moment for Mokuba. "Aren't you going to offer to walk me to my car?" She teased.

"Um…yeah, sure." Mokuba said, pulling himself away from the door, feeling a little embarrassed he'd been called out.

"I should probably head home too," Yugi said after a short sigh. "It will look awkward if we're still here after how long this conversation has gone on. We can all walk out together."

The three of them chatted until the servants brought their cars around, Mokuba bidding them good night as they left. The lights were still on in the lounge when Mokuba passed by. He considered popping his head in to check on them as the room was silent, but remembered his promise to back off. He kept walking and made his way to the staircase to go to bed.

He laid in bed awake for another two hours waiting for Seto to eventually come up, but never heard him pass by in the hall. He drifted off to sleep, never knowing when his brother finally came to be, or if he even did at all.


End file.
